chap, xix.] ANIMALS. 457 



people as these that are often looked upon as transitional 

 forms between two very distinct races, like the Malays 

 and Papuans, whereas they are only examples of inter- 

 mixture. 



The animal productions of Banda, though very few, are 

 interesting. The islands have perhaps no truly indigenous 

 Mammalia hut bats. The deer of the Moluccas and the 

 pig- have probably been introduced. A species of Cuscus 

 or Eastern opossum is also found at Banda, and this may 

 be truly indigenous in the sense of not having been 

 introduced by man. Of birds, during my three visits of 

 one or two days each, I collected eight kinds, and the 

 Dutch collectors have added a few others. The most 

 remarkable is a fine and very handsome fruit-pigeon, 

 Carpophaga concinna, which feeds upon the nutmegs, or 

 rather on the mace, and whose loud booming note is to be 

 continually heard. This bird is found in the Ke and 

 Matabello islands as well as Banda, but not in Ceram or 

 any of the larger islands, which are inhabited by allied 

 but very distinct species. A beautiful small fruit-dove, 

 Ptilonopus diadematus, is also peculiar to Banda. 



