EXPLORATION IN NEW GUINEA. 387 



As one goes west along the coast it is seen that the native dress 

 grows more scant, and the natives do not seem to be as good a type. 

 At IMaipua on the Delta the men, though well built, are shorter 

 and the women are very small, and for natives have poor chest 

 development. The women only wear a small grass covering, which 

 does not extend round either side of the thigh, and the men only 

 an apology for a covering, which would not protect them from the 

 law anywhere on the fringe of civilisation. They do not go in for 

 much personal adornment, though nose-bones are fairly common 

 amongst the men. 



The River Purari has of course been visited and written up, 

 but it is safe to say that although we could recognise fam.iliar palms, 

 canes, and creepers, breadfruit, pandanus, etc., there are many new 

 trees and shrubs waiting the work of a botanist. The whole of the 

 country along the " Mouths " is typical delta land, and it looks as 

 if it might be submerged at any time. It was August 16th before 

 we came to a point where regular banks rise above the stream. 



To give some idea of the difficulty of ascending the Purari 

 in canoes, it took the expedition 21 days from Maipua to Beroie, 

 which is 140 miles ; and on the return trip with double canoes, 

 made by the carriers, we did the same distance in three days. 

 In the upper reaches of this river, when it is in flood, which seems 

 to be generally the case, the current runs approximately eight 

 miles per hour. 



Animal life did not assert itself, but we captured a cuscus, and 

 parrots, Goura pigeons, king-fishers and horn-bills showed them- 

 selves. We got two water hens apparently identical with those in 

 New South Wales. Myriads of insects infest every camp in Papua, 

 and scrub leeches are not the least worry to be reckoned with. 



Towards the head of the delta we measured the Purari proper, 

 and the river width worked out at about 475 yards with a current 

 of some three miles per hour. We reached the locality where Sir 

 William Mac Gregor charted the Island of Abukiru, only to find the 

 island had disappeared. It was here that Sir William MacGregor 

 got samples of good coal. A short distance up sandstone showed 

 in the banks of the river. From the junction of the Auri River new 

 ground was broken, and on September 7th we reached Sir William 

 MacGregor's furthest. From this point forward until we returned 

 to the same point on January 12th the country was new. 



From the standpoint of a prospector, the country is dis- 

 appointing. The most plentiful rock is limestone. This is clearly 

 of considerable thickness, for it shows itself in deep gorges and 

 impassable cliffs. Frequently water courses disappear into fissures 

 and limestone caves are much in evidence. Taking a bird's eye 

 view of the country explored, it looks one never ending series of 

 steep valleys and knife-top ridges. There is little or no level ground. 

 Clearly the country is being eroded at a rapid rate. The abundance 

 of limestone and sandstone and the absence of granites and por- 

 phyries or massive igneous rocks all help with an abundant rainfall 

 to bring about this result. There is a true slate cropping out, but 



