322 NEW GUINEA. [chap, xxxiv. 



of the rarer kinds were found thei-e, as I obtained a single 

 female of the fine scale-breasted Ptiloris magnificus. I was 

 told at Ternate of a bird that is certainly not yet known 

 in Europe, a black King Paradise Bird, with the curled 

 tail and beautiful side plumes of the common species, but 

 all the rest of the plumage glossy black. The people of 

 Dorey knew nothing about this, although they recognised 

 by description most of the other species. 



When the steamer left, I was suffering from a severe 

 attack of fever. In about a week I got over this, but it 

 was followed by such a soreness of the whole inside of the 

 mouth, tongue, and gums, that for many days T could put 

 nothing solid between my lips, but was obliged to subsist 

 entirely on slops, although in other respects very well. At 

 the same time two of my men again fell ill, one with fever, 

 the other with dysentery, and both got very bad. T did 

 M'hat I could for them with my small stock of medicines, 

 but they lingered on for some weeks, till on June 26th 

 poor Jumaat died. He was about eighteen years of age, a 

 native, I believe, of Bouton, and a quiet lad, not very 

 active, but doing his work pretty steadily, and as well as 

 he was able. As my men were all Mahometans, I let 

 them bury him in their own fashion, giving them some 

 new cotton cloth for a shroud. 



On July 6 th the steamer returned from the eastward. 

 The weather was still terribly wet, when, according to rule, 



