358 WAIGIOU. [chap. XXXVI. 



I had only shot two male Paradiseas on my tree when 

 they ceased visiting it, either owing to the fruit becoming 

 scarce, or that they were wise enough to know there was 

 danger. We continued to hear and see them in the forest, 

 but after a month had not succeeded in shooting any more ; 

 and as my chief object in visiting Waigiou was to get 

 these birds, I determined to go to Bessir, where there are a 

 number of Papuans who catch and preserve them. I hired 

 a small outrigger boat for this journey, and left one of my 

 men to guard my house and goods. We had to wait 

 several days for fine weather, and at length started early 

 one morning, and arrived late at night, after a rough and 

 disagreeable passage. The village of Bessir was built in 

 the water at the point of a small island. The chief food 

 of the people was evidently shell-fish, since great heaps of 

 the shells had accumulated in the shallow water between 

 the houses and the land, forming a regular " kitchen- mid- 

 den " for the exploration of some future archaeologist. We 

 spent the night in the chiefs house, and the next morning 

 went over to the mainland to look out for a place where I 

 could reside. This part of Waigiou is really another island 

 to the south of the narrow channel we had passed through 

 in coming to Muka. It appears to consist almost entirely 

 of raised coral, whereas the northern island contains hard 

 crystalline rocks. The shores were a range of low lime- 

 stone cliffs, worn out by the water, so that the upper part 



