60 A NATUBALIST IN CELEBES ch.iv 



Magdala boots, and Manuel wore an old pair of boots I had 

 given him for these occasions, for even his tough feet could 

 hot stand the wounds and lacerations caused by this 

 rough work upon the reefs. 



As soon as the ebbing tide permitted, we waded across 

 the shallow sandy lagoon towards the edge of the reef, and 

 Worked away as hard as we could until the flowing tide 

 compelled us to retreat. It was extremely hot work in the 

 middle of the day, with the sun pouring down upon our 

 heads, but as I was generally pretty well wet through all 

 over, and constantly put my head in the water to keep it 

 cool, I was never any the worse for it. I used to enjoy these 

 excursions, however, notwithstanding their great physical 

 discomfort, for the variety and interest there is in every 

 square yard of a vigorous coral reef affords ceaseless amuse- 

 ment and wonder, the difficulty being to devote one's 

 attention to any particular form or problem, and not to 

 fritter away the time in watching the active movements 

 of the brightly coloured reef fishes, the slow and steady 

 march of the great sea-slugs and star-fishes, the slow and 

 graceful waving movements of the Aloyonarian polypes, or 

 the darting frightened scrambles of the crabs and squillas. 



I was never sorry when the time came to turn our faces 

 homewards, for, notwithstanding the excitement, this reef- 

 work is extremely exhausting. Sometimes I would fling off 

 my wet clothes when I reached home, and fall fast asleep 

 for an hour or so before lunch ; but as I had always a great 

 many things to attend to, I tried to avoid this as often as 

 possible, and get my corals and other things properly 

 preserved at once. In such a climate I could rely upon 

 nothing to keep for an hour. When the thermometer stands 

 at 90° in the shade, a bucketful of water soon reaches a 

 temperature at which all its living contents languish and 

 die, and as soon as anything is dead putrefaction sets in 



