CHAP. XXIII.] ENTOMOLOGY OF EAIOA ISLANDS. 31 



to me. I then reached a path in the swampy forest where 

 I hoped to find some butterflies, but was disappointed. 

 Being now pretty well exhausted by the intense heat, 

 I thought it wise to return and reserve further exploration 

 for the next day. 



When I sat down in the afternoon to arrange my insects, 

 the house was surrounded by men, women, and children, 

 lost in amazement at my unaccountable proceedings ; and 

 when, after pinning out the specimens, I proceeded to 

 write the name of the place on small circular tickets, 

 and attach one to each, even the old Kapala, the Mahome- 

 tan priest, and some Malay traders could not repress signs 

 of astonishment. If they had known a little more about 

 the ways and opinions of white men, they would probably 

 have looked upon me as a fool or a madman, but in their 

 ignorance they accepted my operations as worthy of all 

 respect, although utterly beyond their comprehension. 



The next day (October 16th) I went beyond the swamp, 

 and found a place where a new clearing was being made 

 in the virgin forest. It was a long and hot walk, and the 

 search among the fallen trunks and branches was very 

 fatiguing, but I was rewarded by obtaining about seventy 

 distinct species of beetles, of which at least a dozen were 

 new to me, and many others rare and interesting. I have 

 never in my life seen beetles so abundant as they were 

 on this spot. Some dozen species of good-sized golden 



