216 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



came out in sharp ridges and was also full of holes 

 and caverns, making the march slow, difficult and 

 painful. As a result of three days' hard work we got 

 to a height of some 2500 feet, still in very inhospitable 

 country, and still among timid and semi-hostile 

 natives. The weather was hot and fever very bad 

 in our camp. We found it impossible to get any 

 native food, and so we had to do without vegetables. 

 The only relief we had from the tinned food and rice 

 which we carried with us was an occasional grilled 

 pigeon. 



I had set up two camps, one camp at two days' 

 march from the Canoe Station, and a second camp at 

 three days' march. The hardships of life were 

 relieved by the fact that I was able to make very 

 fine collections of moths by night. It is no exaggera- 

 tion to say that I obtained scores of new species of 

 moths, among them some new hawk moths, which 

 are so-called on account of their very narrow, sharp, 

 hard wings. I was also able to obtain some new 

 birds, and finding the collecting so good I stayed 

 from June to December, working harder than I had 

 ever done before in New Guinea. The expedi- 

 tion had cost me at least 1200, and I was anxious 

 to get as much return as possible for this large 

 cost. 



In December I had had a very cordial invitation 

 from the Captain commanding the Island River 

 Dutch Expedition, to join his forces. I also received 



