334 CELEBES. [chap. xv. 



about the country and prosecuting my researches in 

 natural history. We conversed in French, which all Dutch 

 officials speak very well. 



Finding it very inconvenient and expensive to stay in 

 the town, I removed at the end of a week to a little 

 bamboo house, kindly offered me by Mr. Mesman. It was 

 situated about two miles away, on a small coffee plantation 

 and farm, and about a mile beyond Mr. M.'s own country- 

 house. It consisted of two rooms raised about seven feet 

 above the ground, the lower part being partly open (and 

 serving excellently to skin birds in) and partly used as 

 a granary for rice. There was a kitchen and other out- 

 houses, and several cottages near were occupied by men in 

 Mr. M.'s employ. 



After being settled a few days in my new house, I found 

 that no collections could be made without going much 

 further into the country. The rice-fields for some miles 

 round resembled English stubbles late in autumn, and were 

 almost as unproductive of bird or insect life. There were 

 several native villages scattered about, so embosomed in 

 fruit trees that at a distance they looked like clumps or 

 patches of forest. These were my only collecting places, 

 but they produced a very limited number of species, and 

 were soon exhausted. Before I could move to any more 

 promising district it was necessary to obtain permission 

 from the Eajah of Goa. whose territories approach to within 



