WE RETURN TO KAYELI. 269 



above, and a pure, almost silvery white beneath, ex- 

 cept on the throat, which is covered with scale-like 

 feathers, of a rich metallic blue-black. So far as is 

 known, this beautiful bird is only found on this 

 island. In the bushes and shrubbery is constantly 

 heard the cheerful note of a bird, the TrobidoryiiGliiis 

 louruensis^ somewhat larger than our robin. By 

 day I enjoyed this Rol^iuson Crusoe life very much, 

 but the mosquitoes proved such a tonnent by night 

 that we could scarcely sleep. A great smouldering 

 fire was made under our hut, but its only effect was 

 to increase our misery, and make the mosquitoes 

 more bloodthirsty. We were frequently disturbed 

 also by several yellow dogs, which came to crunch 

 what chicken-l)ones the cook had thrown away, and 

 to upset eveiy thing around the house that was not 

 already in a state of stable equilibrium. Afterward, 

 ^vhen all was still, occasionally a hea\^ crash sighed 

 through the deep woods, caused by the falling of 

 some old tree, whose roots had been slowly con- 

 sumed by the fires that prevail in the neighborhood 

 during the dry season. 



At the end of a week my hunter had preserved 

 the skins of sixty-three beautiful bii'ds, including 

 specimens of six species that I had not secui'ed 

 before. We now returned to Kayeli; and though 

 there were only eight white persons in the whole 

 place, I could nevertheless feel that I was returning 

 to civilization, and that I could speak some other 

 language than Malay. 



The village of Kayeli is really composed of eleven 

 separate parts, or Iccim'ponns^ all situated on a low, 



