Notes on Dutch New Guinea 



545 



may be speared, shot with arrows — a 

 feat at which the Papuan is truly an 

 adept — or taken with net or trap. The 

 pigs are hunted and speared or the young 

 are captured and brought up in the vil- 

 lage. It is by no means uncommon to 

 see a Papuan woman nurse a young pig. 



The young cassowaries are raised and 

 wander about freely in some places. 

 When the old birds are hunted, the peo- 

 ple are very cautious in approaching 

 them, for the kick of a big bird will do 

 more harm than a wild boar can do with 

 his tusks. Opossums and birds, espe- 

 cially the Goura, or great crowned pigeon, 

 are shot with specially made, small, light 

 arrows. These are also used in obtaining 

 the birds of Paradise. 



The notes of this and the preceding 

 paper give in bare outline form some of 

 our observations. The land is beautiful, 

 the people are interesting, but far be it 

 from me to paint the region as one suit- 

 able for any to visit except the naturalist 

 or ethnologist. He expects insect pests, 

 fever, heavy damp heat, an often most 



inhospitable reception ashore, and almost 

 every other discomfort imaginable. These 

 he will find in abundance. 



There is still grave danger from the 

 natives in many localities, and the coast 

 region is one of the most unhealthy for 

 white men in the world. 



Curious to relate, our Javanese bird- 

 skinners suffered more from fever than 

 did we. Our head collector, Bandoung 

 by name, reached Java barely alive, and 

 for long his life was despaired of. I 

 have heard since that he was recovering; 

 slowly. One poor boy from the island; 

 of Ternate, a garden spot in the Moluc- 

 cas, lies buried near the beach at Mano- 

 kwari. 



Our thanks are due to many for as- 

 sistance, especially to the officers of the 

 little S. S. Both, to many officials in the 

 government service, and to Mr Sedee, a 

 merchant of Ternate. He has made sev- 

 eral trading trips to Papua and his knowl- 

 edge of local customs and of the Ansus 

 dialect was always most courteously at 

 our disposal. 



LEAVING NEW GUINEA 

 Malay traders from the ship and Papuans in double and single outrigger canoes, 



