chap, xx.] RARE BEETLE. 475 



or never captured except when it comes to drink the sap of 

 the sugar palms, where it is found by the natives when 

 they go early in the morning to take away the bamboos 

 which have been filled during the night. For some time 

 one or two were brought me every day, generally alive. 

 They are sluggish insects, and pull themselves lazily along 

 by means of their immense fore-legs. A figure of this 

 and other Moluccan beetles is given in the 27th chapter of 

 this work. 



I was kept at Paso by an inflammatory eruption, brought 

 on by the constant attacks of small acari like harvest- 

 bugs, for which the forests of Ceram are famous, and also 

 by the want of nourishing food while in that island. At 

 one time I was covered with severe boils. I had them on 

 my eye, cheek, armpits, elbows, back, thighs, knees, and 

 ankles, so that I was unable to sit or walk, and had great 

 difficulty in finding a side to lie upon without pain. These 

 continued for some weeks, fresh ones coming out as fast as 

 others got well ; but good living and sea baths ultimately 

 cured them. 



About the end of January Charles Allen, who had been 

 my assistant in Malacca and Borneo, again joined me on 

 agreement for three years ; and as soon as I got tolerably 

 well, we had plenty to do laying in stores and making 

 arrangements for our ensuing campaign. Our greatest 

 difficulty was in obtaining men, but at last we succeeded 



