TALISSE ISLAND 55 



CHAPTEE IV 



TALISSE ISLAND 



Eeasons for settling in this island— Inhabitants and topography of the island 

 — Every-day lite in the island— Surface dredging— The ' Panchuran ' — 

 Work on the reefs — Food -Temperature and barometric pressure— In- 

 sect pests — Evening amusements — The coolies — Diseases of the natives — • 

 My house— Attap— The gardens— Deer -kraal— HiU-climbing-Mangrove 

 swamps — Collecting orchids — The plantations — Planting coco-nuts — 

 Ebony — Kinabohutan — Pirates — Banka^Tindela, and Ganga — Absence of 

 coral reefs on shores exposed tO' the NJSl.E. — Our visitors — The post 

 prau — Native songs — The ' Minahassa ' — An Arab. 



Before describing my life and surroundings in the little 

 island of Talisse I must explain why it was I fixed upon 

 that island for my head-quarters. I required for my in- 

 vestigations a good, vigorous coral reef, not far from my 

 house ; I required a sea shallow enough for me to dredge, 

 but at the same time not exposed to monsoons ; I also 

 wished to be near a primitive forest and a mangrove 

 swamp, and not too far away from Manado. As all these 

 conditions were fulfilled in Talisse, and as I had already 

 acquired a considerable knowledge of the topography of 

 the Tahsse Sea during my stay on board the ' Flying 

 Fish,' I thought that I could not do better than make it 

 my head-quarters. 



I believe now I made the best choice, and that Talisse 

 possesses greater advantages in these respects than any 

 other place on the coast or islands of the north part of 

 Celebes. There is a fringing coral reef varying in vigour 

 and size nearly all round the island. On the east side 

 it is washed by the Talisse Sea, which is over twenty 



