CELEBES, THE MOLUCCAS, ETC. 357 



Macassar, and found that I could obtain a passage to the 

 celebrated Aru Islands, where at least two species of birds of 

 paradise are found, and which had never been visited by an 

 English collector. This was a piece of good fortune I had 

 not expected, and it was especially fortunate because the next 

 six months would be wet in Celebes, while it would be the 

 dry season in the Aru Islands. This journey was the most 

 successful of any that I undertook, as is fully described in 

 my book ; and as no letters referring to it have been preserved, 

 I shall say no more about it here. 



The illustration opposite is from a photograph of a native 

 house in the island of Wokan, which was given me by the 

 late Professor Moseley of the Challenger expedition, because 

 it so closely resembles the hut in which I lived for a fort- 

 night, and where I obtained my first King bird of paradise, 

 that I feel sure it must be the same, especially as I saw no 

 other like it. It is described at the beginning of chap. xxxi. 

 of my " Malay Archipelago," and will be of interest to such 

 of my readers as possess that work. 



Several months later I arrived again at Macassar, and 

 after arranging and despatching my Aru collections, I went 

 to an estate a few days' journey north, the property of a 

 brother of my kind friend Mr. Mesman. I had a house built 

 for me in a patch of forest where I lived with two Malay 

 servants for three months making very interesting collections 

 both of birds and insects; and I have rarely enjoyed myself 

 so much as I did here. About the end of November I 

 returned to Macassar, and in December embarked on the Dutch 

 mail steamer for Amboyna, calling by the way at Timor and 

 at Banda. 



At Amboyna I made the acquaintance of a German and 

 a Hungarian doctor, both entomologists, and in a fortnight's 

 visit to an estate in the interior surrounded by virgin forest 

 I obtained some of the lovely birds and gorgeous insects 

 which have made the island celebrated. The only letter I 

 possess which indicates something of my opinions and antici- 

 pations at this period of my travels is one to Bates, dated 

 Amboyna, January 4, 1858, from which I will make a few 



