32 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



inflicted, seems to be dangerous. Once at Fergusson 

 Island, New Guinea, I was called to see a native 

 who had been seized by a crocodile whilst fishing 

 with nets from the shore. The man when he was 

 seized by the crocodile cried out, and the other 

 natives went to his assistance and managed to rescue 

 him from the creature. When I was asked to see 

 him two or three days had passed since he was 

 wounded. The natives had the sick man on a 

 platform with a fire smouldering underneath him so 

 that the smoke should circle round him. All the 

 wounds which he had received from the crocodile 

 were suppurating badly and running with pus ; this 

 could be attributed to the infection of the crocodile's 

 bite. I gave the natives some permanganate of 

 potash to cleanse the sick man's wounds. He was 

 all right afterwards. 



At our camp on the Johnson River I got a great 

 number of butterflies and birds, but the country 

 did not offer many new things. The best bird of 

 which we got specimens there was the Barnard Island 

 Rifle Bird, also called the Victoria or Lesser Rifle 

 Bird. 1 It is the smallest of the Australian Birds of 

 Paradise. 



We stayed on the Johnson River for some four 

 months, without, as I have said, any very great 



1 The bird here mentioned by Mr. Meek is the Ptilorhis victories, 

 which is only found in North Queensland and on the Barnard 

 Isles. E. H. 



