[Chap, xxii] CELEBES, THE MOLUCCAS, ETC. 357 



of forest, and where I at once obtained some of the rare 

 birds and insects peculiar to Celebes. After about a month 

 I returned to Macassar, and found that I could obtain a 

 passage to the celebrated Aru Islands, where at least two 

 species of birds of paradise are found, and which had never 

 been visited by an English collector. This was a piece of 

 good fortune I had not expected, and it was especially- 

 fortunate because the next six months would be wet in 

 Celebes, while it would be the dry season in the Aru Islands. 

 This journey was the most successful of any that I undertook, 

 as is fully described in my book ; and as no letters referring 

 to it have been preserved, I shall say no more about it 

 here. 



The illustration opposite is from a photograph of a native 

 house in the island of Wokan, which was given me by the 

 late Professor Moseley of the Cliallenger expedition, because 

 it so closely resembles the hut in which I lived for a fort- 

 night, and where I obtained my first King bird of paradise, 

 that I feel sure it must be the same, especially as I saw no 

 other like it. It is described at the beginning of chapter xxxi. 

 of my " Malay Archipelago," and will be of interest to such 

 of my readers as possess that work. 



Several months later I arrived again at Macassar, and 

 after arranging and despatching my Aru collections, I went 

 to an estate a few days' journey north, the property of a 

 brother of my kind friend Mr. Mesman. I had a house 

 built for me in a patch of forest where I lived with two 

 Malay servants for three, months making very interesting 

 collections both of birds and insects ; and I have rarely 

 enjoyed myself so much as I did here. About the end of 

 November I returned to Macassar, and in December em- 

 barked on the Dutch mail steamer for Amboyna, calling by 

 the way at Timor and at Banda. 



At Amboyna I made the acquaintance of a German and 

 a Hungarian doctor, both entomologists, and in a fortnight's 

 visit to an estate in the interior surrounded by virgin forest 

 I obtained some of the lovely birds and gorgeous insects 

 which have made the island celebrated. The only letter I 



