122 CERAM. [chap. XXV. 



well, and can be baked as wanted, so that we may estimate 

 that in ten days a man may produce food for the whole 

 year. This is on the supposition that he possesses sago 

 trees of his own, for they are now all private property. If 

 he does not, he has to pay about seven and sixpence for 

 one ; and as labour here is five pence a day, the total cost 

 of a year's food for one man is about twelve shillings. 

 The effect of this cheapness of food is decidedly prejudicial, 

 for the inhabitants of the sago countries are never so well 

 off as those where rice is cultivated. Many of the people 

 here have neither vegetables nor fruit, but live almost 

 entirely on sago and a little fish. Having few occupations 

 at home, they wander about on petty trading or fishing 

 expeditions to the neighbouring islands ; and a.-^ far as the 

 comforts of life are concerned, are much inferior to the 

 wild hill-Dyaks of Borneo, or to many- of the more bar- 

 barous tribes of the Archipelago. 



The country round Warns- warus is low and swampy, 

 and owing to the absence of cultivation there were scarcely 

 any paths leading into the forest. I was therefore unable 

 to collect much during my enforced stay, and found no 

 rare birds or insects to improve my opinion of Ceram as a 

 collecting ground. Finding it quite impossible to get men 

 here to accompany me on the whole voyage, I was obliged 

 to be content with a crew to take me as far as Wahai, on 

 the middle of the north coast of Ceram, and the chief 



