8 A NATUBALIST IN CELEBES ch. i 



tropical nature. The blue of sea and sky, the various 

 shades of green of the forest, the glistening whiteness of 

 the coral strand, and the glowing shades of gold and red of 

 a fine sunset in the tropics, are colours that we rarely see in 

 our sober temperate climes. 



I cannot linger now to describe the passing glimpses I 

 obtained of the little villages of Pari-pari, Toli-toli, Dongola, 

 and the more important Amurang, for the steamer stayed 

 but long enough to leave the mails and a little cargo, and 

 was off before I had a chance to go ashore. 



Three days after we left Makassar we steamed into 

 Manado Bay. There can be no question that Manado Bay 

 is extremely beautiful, and upon this morning of July 29, 

 as we cut our way through the perfectly calm and glassy 

 water, leaving a long streak of placid foam in our wake, we 

 saw it to the best advantage. 



To the north, like a sentinel at the gate, stands Manado- 

 tuwa, one of those perfectly conical island mountains not 

 unfrequently met with in volcanic regions, and in its 

 immediate neighbourhood lie one or two perfectly flat coral 

 islands covered with swamp and morass. The coast of the 

 bay is flat, but the land gradually rises a short distance from 

 the sea and slopes away to form the mountainous back- 

 bone of the peninsula. In the distance stands the Klabat 

 (6,694 feet), one of the most beautiful and imposing peaks 

 in the island. In the middle of the bay the Manado Eiver 

 brings its muddy sulphurous waters to the sea. 



But where is Manado ? By carefully scanning the coast 

 with a field glass, a few poor native huts may be seen on 

 the north bank of the river mouth, and on the south of it, 

 with greater difficulty, a small wooden pier and a fort. 

 The town itself, with its residency, prison. Government 

 offices, church, and warehouses, lies buried amongst the 

 lofty trees and dense ground foliage of the strand. 



