208 THE ARU ISLANDS. [chap. xxx. 



subject should have been in the habit of classing these 

 races as mere varieties of one stock, as closely related in 

 physical conformation as from their geographical proximity 

 one might suppose they ought to be. So far as I have yet 

 seen, the Malay and Papuan appear to be as widely sepa- 

 rated as any two human races that exist, being distin- 

 guished by physical, mental, and moral characteristics, all 

 of the most marked and striking kind. 



Fch. oth. — I took advantage of a very fine calm day to 

 pay a visit to the island of Wokan, which is about a mile 

 from us, and forms part of the "tanna busar," or main- 

 land of Aru. This is a large island, extending from 

 north to south about a hundred miles, but so low in many 

 parts as to be intersected by several creeks, which run 

 completely through it, offering a passage for good-sized 

 vessels. On the west side, where we are, there are only a 

 few outlying islands, of which ours (Wamma) is the 

 principal ; but on the east coast are a great number of 

 Islands, extending some miles beyond the mainland, and 

 forming the "blakang tana," or "back country," of the 

 traders, being the principal seat of the pearl, tripang, and 

 tortoiseshell fisheries. To the mainland many of the 

 birds and animals of the country are altogether confined; 

 the Birds of Paradise, the black cockatoo, the great brush- 

 turkey, and the cassowary, are none of them found on 

 Wamma or any of the detached islands. I did not, 



