24 [January, 



ENTOMOLOG-ICAL NOTES FEOM THE EASTERN ARCHIPELAGO. 

 BY J. J. WALKEE, B.N., F.L.S. 



We bade farewell to North- Western Australia on October 29th, 

 1891, leaving Port Darwin at sunrise on that day en route for Hong 

 Kong, and, after several days spent in the survey of the " Flinders 

 Bank" and other coral patches situated on the edge of the hundred 

 fathom line of soundings, we arrived at the remote and little-known 

 Island of Damma, about 150 miles to the north-east of Timor, on the 

 morning of November 6th. Anchoring in " Koelewatte Bay," which, 

 although to all appearance a very good harbour, is exposed to the full 

 force of the easterly monsoon, and is much encumbered with coral 

 reefs, we spent five days here very pleasantly. The aspect of the 

 island is most picturesque, the bay in which we were lying being 

 enclosed by volcanic hills of remarkable steepness and bold serrated 

 outlines from 600 to 2000 feet in height, clothed, from high water 

 mark (and even from below this, counting in the mangroves), with a 

 dense, unbroken bright green forest vegetation, forming a most 

 striking contrast to the low and arid Australian shores we had so 

 lately left. The one exception to this general forest clothing was on 

 the right-hand side of the harbour, w^here the fine volcanic peak, 

 nearly 4000 feet in height, is wooded to only half that elevation, the 

 top being bare, or covered only with low shrubs and grass. Smoke 

 issues almost constantly from the terminal crater, and bright yellow 

 patches of sulphur could be made out distinctly on the higher slopes. 

 The steepness of the slopes of the volcano, and the dense and tangled 

 character of the forest covering them, would appear to make the 

 ascent a matter of considerable difiiculty, and none of us mustered up 

 sufficient energy to make the attempt, which, indeed, is rarely accom- 

 plished by the natives, although they occasionally bring down small 

 quantities of finely crystallized sulphur for export. All round the 

 north shore of the bay, just above high- water mark, are innumerable 

 little spi'ings and trickles of pure but nearly boiling water, some of 

 the larger ones being even utilized by the natives to cook their food. 

 The island is scantily inhabited by a mixture of Malays and Papuans, 

 who live in two or three small villages on the shores of the harbour, 

 and appear to subsist chiefly on sago, fish and coco-nuts, though they 

 also have pigs and fowls, and grow bananas and other fruits. There 

 is at present no European residing on the island, the " Posthouder," 

 who is the representative of the Netherlands Gro\ernment, being a 

 Macassar half-caste ; the island being under the jurisdiction cf the 



