100 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



colour on the neck and part of the back. 1 There 

 was also found here a mountain ground-thrush. The 

 sexes differ very much, but it was not unlike the 

 ground-thrush that occurs in the mountains in 

 Queensland, of which I had got a specimen from 

 Chester River, Cape York. 2 



On this trip I shot a huge Crowned Pigeon (goura) 

 whilst on the nest with the rifle, and got one egg (they 

 do not lay more). In appearance the egg of the goura 

 pigeon is similar to a very small crocodile's egg, being 

 hard and very glossy in appearance. I shot a great 

 number of the birds afterwards for eating purposes, 

 but, of course, did not shoot another brooding mother. 



At this time I decided to " settle down " definitely 

 in the South Seas, and to combine collecting with 

 farming. I bought a farm close to Samarai with an 

 area of about 160 acres. Subsequently I purchased 

 the adjoining block of 140 acres. The land was 

 covered with coco-nut palms and with good grass. 

 It was my idea to run a dairy-farm for the purpose 

 of supplying Samarai with milk and butter. Cattle 

 do well in New Guinea, especially in coco-nut palm 

 country. From Sydney I obtained a herd of about 

 100 cattle, and I recruited a number of native boys 

 to cut down the scrub, and thus improve the land. 

 It seems to me that in New Guinea there is a great 

 future for cattle-ranching. In the wild state of the 



1 fiupetes castanonotus and E. caerulescens nigricrissus.- 



2 Cinclosoma ajax. E. H. 



-E. H. 



