INLAND NEW GUINEA 129 



a turkey, and on the head was a crest similar to that of 

 the common goura, but smaller in proportion to the 

 size of the bird. It had a black velvety face which 

 changed abruptly to grey, chestnut-red belly, metallic 

 blue-black tail. The wings were olive brown. This 

 bird makes no nest, but lays on the ground one egg 

 of dark creamy- white and small in proportion to the 

 size of the bird. 



Yet another new bird was somewhat similar to the 

 English missel-thrush, but smaller and less distinctly 

 marked. The male of this was black. There was also 

 a black-and-white flycatcher, male and female alike, 

 with long black feathers in the throat, that I had not 

 seen before. 



But I might go on for many pages recording 

 interesting and rare birds and insects that I en- 

 countered at this spot for the first time. Every day 

 seemed to bring its thrill. I saw in my mind cata- 

 logues in England swelling with discoveries. In the 

 middle of it all came disaster. 



It was too cold there ; the boys could not stand it ; 

 they were shivering all the nights. When it was 

 raining or foggy it was not so bad, but on clear nights 

 the cold was piercing. I think we were about as far 

 inland as anyone had gone to collect systematically ; 

 yet we were nothing like as far inland or as high as 

 one could go. But the weather to tropical natives 

 was impossible. Suddenly every one of the party 

 with the exception of three went down with the 



