30 VOYAGE TO BATCHIAN. [chap, xxiii. 



to stay a few days in the house at the landing, and begged 

 him to have it made ready for me. He Avas very civil, 

 and came down at once to get it cleared, when we found 

 that the traders had already left, on hearing that I required 

 it. There were no doors to it, so I obtained the loan of 

 a couple of hurdles to keep out dogs and other animals. 

 The land here was evidently sinking rapidly, as shown by 

 the number of trees standing in salt water dead and dying. 

 After breakfast I started for a walk to the forest-covered 

 hill above the village, with a couple of boys as guides. 

 It was exceedingly hot and dry, no rain having fallen for 

 two months. When we reached an elevation of about two 

 hundred feet, the coralline rock which fringes the shore 

 was succeeded by a hard crystalline rock, a kind of meta- 

 morphic sandstone. This would indicate that there had 

 been a recent elevation of more than two hundred feet, 

 which had still more recently changed into a movement 

 of subsidence. The hill was very rugged, biit among 

 dry sticks and fallen trees T found some good insects, 

 mostly of forms and species I was already acquainted 

 with from Ternate and Gilolo. Finding no good paths I 

 returned, and explored the lower ground eastward of the 

 village, passing through a long range of plantain and 

 tobacco grounds, encumbered ^vith felled and burnt logs, 

 on which I found quantities of beetles of the family 

 Buprestidse of six different species, one of which was new 



