INLAND NEW GUINEA 121 



had never once been outside during that time. I 

 interviewed her mother and told her that the widow 

 was to be allowed out of the house at once. The 

 unfortunate girl was almost blind from the effects 

 of the smoke on her eyes. Informed the people that 

 the system of confining widows in this manner was 

 not a good one and was to discontinue, and that any 

 person who insulted or laughed to scorn any widow 

 for not going into retirement for a year in the house 

 of the deceased husband would be punished. The 

 practice is a bad one, inasmuch as the widow is com- 

 pelled to live alone in the house and never move out 

 until some man wishes to marry her, and only then 

 is she released. If the woman is old or unattractive, 

 it simply means imprisonment for life, as no one 

 wishes to marry her." 



At Bwoidunna I made a very fine collection of 

 lepidoptera. I made discoveries of several new 

 Delias. Just before my coming the forest had been 

 on fire, and there was a great deal of dead timber 

 lying around. I got some of my boys to cut wood 

 during the day as materials for bonfires. At night 

 these great fires were lit and attracted great numbers 

 of moths. It was from my experience of the fine 

 moths obtained in that way that I decided afterwards 

 to bring acetylene lamps as part of my outfit for hill 

 expeditions so as to collect by night. 



I stayed here some three months, keeping in touch 

 with civilisation once a month by sending down for 



