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



myself, after making the circuit of the island of Ceram, was to visit 

 him with stores and provisions and proceed to Waigiou, both return- 

 ing independently to meet at Ternate in the autumn. 



I had been assured by the Goram and Bugis traders that Mysol 

 was the very best country for the Birds of Paradise, and that they 

 were finer and more abundant there than anywhere else. For Wai- 

 giou I had, besides the authority of the native traders, that of Les- 

 son also, who visited the north coast for a few days, and mentions 

 seven species of Paradise-Birds purchased there by him. 



These two promising expeditions turned out unfortunately in every 

 respect. On reaching Goram, after much difficulty and delay, I 

 found it impossible to make the voyage I had projected without a 

 vessel of my own. I therefore purchased a small native prau of about 

 8 tons, and after spending a month in strengthening and fitting it 

 up, and having with great difficulty secured a native crew, paid them 

 half their wages in advance, and overcome all the difficulties and ob- 

 jections which every one of them made to starting when all was ready, 

 we at length got away, and I congratulated myself on my favourable 

 prospects. Touching at Ceramlaut, the rendezvous of the New 

 Guinea traders, I invested all my spare cash in goods for barter with 

 the natives, and then proceeded towards Mysol. 



The very next day, however, being obliged to anchor on the east 

 coast of Ceram on account of bad weather, my crew all ran away 

 during the night, leaving myself and my two Amboyna hunters to 

 get on as we could. With great difficulty 1 procured other men to 

 take us as far as Wahai,-on the north coast of Ceram, opposite to 

 Mysol, and there by a great chance succeeded in picking up a make- 

 shift crew of four men willing to go with me to Mysol, Waigiou, and 

 Ternate. I here found a letter from Mr. Allen, telling me he was 

 much in want of rice and other necessaries, and was waiting my 

 arrival to go to the north coast of Mysol, where alone the Paradi- 

 ses could be obtained. 



On attempting to cross the strait, seventy miles wide, between 

 Ceram and Mysol, a strong east wind blew us out of our course ; so 

 that we passed to the westward of that island without any possibility 

 of getting back to it. Mr. Allen, finding it impossible to live with- 

 out rice, had to return to Wahai, much against his will, and there 

 was kept two months waiting a supply from Amboyna. When at 

 length he was able to return to Mysol, he had only a fortnight at 

 the best place on the north coast, when the last boat of the season 

 left, and he was obliged to take his only chance of getting back to 

 Ternate. 



Through this unfortunate series of accidents he was only able to 

 get a single specimen of P. papuana, which is finer there than in most 

 other places, a few of the Cicinnurus regins, and of P. magnifica only 

 a native skin, though this beautiful little species is not rare in the 

 island, and during a longer stay might easily have been obtained. 



My own voyage was beset with misfortunes. After passing Mysol, 

 I lost two of my scanty crew on a little desert island, our anchor 

 breaking while they were on shore, and a powerful current carrying 



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