330 BANDA. 



by Sloane to make webs so strong as to catch birds. At Little 

 Ke Island Von Willemoes Suhm actually found a strong and 

 healthy " Glossy Starling" {Calornis metallica) caught fast in a 

 yellow spider's web, and he took the bird out alive and 

 brought it on board the ship to be preserved. 



The Banda Group, September 29th to October 2nd, 1874. 

 From the Ke Islands the ship proceeded to the Banda Group, 

 famed for its nutmegs. On the voyage, which consumed three 

 days, a small island named Bird Island was passed, from which 

 at one spot smoke was issuing from amongst rocks covered 

 with a white incrustation. The smoke was evidently a volcanic 

 fumerole. 



Banda Island was reached on Septeml)er 29th. The ship 

 anchored in a harbour, shut in by three surrounding islands. 

 On one of these was the town, the old fort built by the Portu- 

 guese, and the residences of the Dutch Officials. Another 

 island is the small active volcano of the group called Gunong 

 Api (mountain fire) ; the Malay equivalent of the word volcano. 

 On the third island (Great Banda) are the principal nutmeg 

 plantations. I accompanied a party which ascended the vol- 

 cano, which is 1,910 feet in altitude only. It appears to be 

 very seldom climbed, either by Dutch residents or natives. 

 The mountain is a steep simple cone. The ascent was made 

 on the east side. The cone is covered with bushes up to 

 within about 700 or 800 feet of the summit, and with the help 

 of these climbing is easy though arduous. Above the limit of 

 the bushes there are steep slopes of loose stones, wearying to 

 climb and constantly falling. Above these, again, the surface 

 of the cone is hard, the fine ashes and lava fragments of which 

 it is composed, being cemented together so as to form a hard 

 crust. This is roughened by the projection of fragments, but 

 still smooth enough to require some care in the placing of the 

 feet on the part of men wearing boots. The Malay guides 

 with naked feet stood with ease upon it anywhere. 



The inclination of the slope is about ■%,Ty° ; and to a man who 

 easily becomes giddy no doubt would be rather formidable in 

 descent. An American traveller, who had probably never been 

 up any other mountain before he ascended the Banda Volcano, 

 has written a most appalling account of the danger which he 

 encountered in descending. To a man with an ordinarily good 

 head there are no difficulties in the ascent or descent. 



At the summit the fragments of basaltic rock were under- 

 going slow decomposition under the action of heated vapours 

 issuing in all directions from amongst them, and were softened 

 and turned white, like chalk. Any of these fragments when 

 broken showed part of their mass still black and unaltered, 



