DISAPPOINTMENTS 
frequently been described by naturalists, but a short 
account of it may not be inopportune here, as I was 
fortunate in obtaining many good specimens of it. 
The gaura is half as large again as the guinea-fowl, 
and weighs from five to ten pounds. ‘The beak is 
longer than that of the ordinary pigeon, but is not 
large in proportion to the bird. It has the ordinary 
characteristics of the pigeon beak. The head is small, 
the neck short, the body full and fleshy, and remarkably 
fine eating. ‘The back is broad and rounded, the legs 
brightish red and characteristically those of the pigeon 
breed. The plumage of the head is a bluish silver 
erey with a fine crest of a lighter shade. The crest 
feathers are very open in their branching. When 
erected, the crest spreads out like a fan and makes a 
noble display. ‘The breast feathers are a rich maroon, 
the wings and back a bluish slate colour. ‘There are 
white patches on the wings, which are tipped with 
maroon. ‘The tail feathers continue the shade of the 
back until within two inches of the extremity, when 
they are graduated into a lovely grey, almost matching 
that of the crest. For all its fine looks it is a silly 
bird, short and heavy of flight, and easily killed when 
once found. The sportsman locates the gaura by its 
booming sound. 
My ten days’ stay at Merauke was a time of strange 
misfortune, and while there I had the unenviable 
opportunity of observing a very serious outbreak of a 
mysterious disease, which was said to be that deadly 
beri-beri, which has lately been occupying the minds 
of men of science. For some time there had been 
isolated cases among the Javanese convicts, but about 
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