TIIK MOLUCCAS 313 



the cliain of islands east of it. The funner shows a 

 closer relation with New Guinea than does the latter 

 group. Thus it exhibits seven species of the markedly 

 Papuan genus, Papuina, as against one in the southern 

 group. Again we find certain distinct points of con- 

 nection with Celebes in the latter, which do not e.xist in 

 the other. No distinct Australian influence is noticeable, 

 although in the K^ Islands the one Limncca and two out 

 of the four species of Isidora are common to North 

 Australia. 



Equally splendid as the birds are the insects of these 

 islands, wdiich in some particulars surpass those of any 

 other part of the world. Here are butterflies of the 

 largest size and most vivid colours — some of the most 

 intense metallic blue, as Papilio ulysses, or the richest 

 silky green, as Ornithoptera priavms ; while others 

 exhibit golden yellow or the most vivid crimson hues, 

 displayed in an endless variety of patterns on a velvety 

 black ground. The beetles also are remarkable for size 

 or beauty, the wonderful long-armed beetle of Amboina 

 {Eiichirus Jongimanus) being one of the giants of the 

 insect world. 



3. Inhabitants. 



In the Moluccas at least three native races encounter 

 each other and intermingle — the Malays, the Papuans, 

 and the Indonesians or pre-Malays ; and with the very 

 imperfect knowledge we at present possess it is not always 

 easy to disentangle the one from the other, or to determine 

 which are pure races and which the results of a more or 

 less complex intermixture. People of Malny race and 

 Mohammedans in religion inhabit the small islands of 

 Ternate and Tidor, each under a native sultan, whose 

 rule extends over a number of adjacent islands. They 



