Mr. A. R. Wallace's Search after Birds of Paradise. 4G5 



which, under very favourable circumstances, plunged along at nearly 

 five miles an hour, and with a Buginese crew, all of whom seemed 

 to have a voice in cases of difficulty or danger, we made the voyage 

 of about a thousand miles in perfect safety and very agreeably ; in fact, 

 of all the sea voyages I have made, this was one of the pleasantest. 



On reaching the Bugis trading settlement of Dobbo, I found that 

 the small island on which it is situated does not contain any Para- 

 dise-Birds. Just as I was trying to arrange a trip to the larger 

 island, a fleet of Magindano pirates made their appearance, commit- 

 ting great devastations, and putting the whole place in an uproar ; 

 and it was only after they had been some time gone that confidence 

 began to be restored, and the natives could be persuaded to take the 

 smallest voyage. This delayed me two months in Dobbo without 

 seeing a Paradise-Bird. 



"When, however, I at length reached the main island and ascended 

 a small stream to a native village, I soon obtained a specimen of the 

 lovely P. regia, which, when first brought me, excited greater ad- 

 miration and delight than I have experienced on any similar occasion. 

 The larger species was still not to be seen ; and the natives assured 

 me that it would be some months before their plumage arrived at 

 perfection, when they were accustomed to congregate together and 

 could be more easily obtained. This proved to be correct ; for it was 

 about four months after my arrival at Dobbo that I obtained my first 

 full-plumaged specimen of P. apoda. This was near the centre of 

 the large island of Am ; and I there, with the assistance of the 

 natives, procured the fine .series which first arrived in England. 



While at Dobbo I had frequent conversations with the Bugis tra- 

 ders and with the Rajah of Goram, who all assured me that in the 

 northern parts of New Guinea I could travel with safety, and that at 

 Mysol, Waigiou, Salwatty, and Dorey I could get all the different 

 sorts of Paradisece. Their accounts excited me so much that I 

 could think of nothing else ; and after another excursion in Celebes 

 I made my way to Ternate, as the best head- quarters for the Mo- 

 luccas and New Guinea. Finding a schooner about to sail on its 

 annual trading voyage to the north coast of New Guinea, I agreed for 

 a passage to Dorey, and to be called for on the return of the vessel 

 after an interval of three or four months. We arrived there, after a 

 tedious voyage, in April 1858, and I began my second search after 

 the Birds of Paradise. 



I went to Dorey in full confidence of success, and thought myself 

 extremely fortunate in being able to visit that particular locality ; for 

 it was there that Lesson, in the French discovery-ship ' Coquille,' 

 purchased from the natives skins of at least eight species, viz. Para- 

 disece papuana, regia, magnified, superba, sexsetacea, Astrapia 

 nigra, Ejrimachus magnus, and Sericulus aureus. Here was a pro- 

 spect for me ! The very anticipation of it made me thrill with ex- 

 pectation. 



My disappointment therefore may be imagined when, shortly after 

 my arrival, I found all these bright hopes fade away. In vain I in- 

 quired for the native bird-hunters ; none were to be found there ; and 



Ann. &; Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. x. 31 



