264 PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



with, but in most instances very little is known about 

 their habits. The jungles of South-western New Guinea 

 are so dense that white men can scarcely traverse them, 

 and most of the collecting had to be done by the trained 

 natives from the Malay Peninsula, kindly supplied by 

 Mr. H. C. Robinson, and by the Gurkhas who accom- 

 panied the Expedition. 



By dealing with each family in turn, I shall endeavour 

 to refer to all the more important species in the collec- 

 tion in their proper scientific order, briefly describing 

 some of the more beautiful, so that those without any 

 special knowledge of birds may, if they care to do so, 

 form some idea of the marvellous types which have 

 been brought home from the interior of South-western 

 New Guinea. 



It is certain that the resources of that wonderful 

 island are not nearly exhausted : on the contrary, every 

 fresh collecting expedition sent to the interior produces 

 remarkable novelties, and large chains of high mountains 

 are still unexplored. The members of our Expedition 

 were fortunate in procuring no less than 2,200 skins of 

 birds in New Guinea, representing about 235 species, of 

 which ten proved to be new to Science. A number 

 of new birds were also obtained by the late Mr. Wilfred 

 Stalker in the mountains of Ceram, which he visited 

 before joining the main Expedition at Amboina. His 

 premature death by drowning, a few days after he landed 

 in New Guinea, was an immense loss to the Expedition, 

 though his place was ably filled by Mr. Claude Grant, 

 who worked with his characteristic zeal and enthusiasm. 



It will be noticed that the great bulk of the birds 

 inhabiting New Guinea belong to a comparatively small 

 number of families, but that each of these is represented 

 by a large number of different species, especially in such 

 groups as the Pigeons, Parrots, Flycatchers, and Honey- 

 eaters. 



