18 



RUMPHIUS'S HERBARIUM AMBOINENSE 



His Rariteitkamer * is in itself a remarkable book, in which 

 are figured and described numerous crustaceans, echinoderms, 

 starfishes, several hundred mollusks, both univalves and bivalves, 

 crystals, fossils, and other forms. This work passed through 

 several editions, and the figures are in general distinctly better 

 than those in the Herbarium Amboinense. His Amboinische 

 Historie and Amboinische Land-Beschrijving still remain in 

 manuscript. His Amboinische Dierboek was planned, accord- 

 ing to Leupe, to consist of three books, in which the birds, the 

 land animals, and the marine animals were to be described and 

 figured, this to supply for the animal kingdom what the 

 Kruidboek (that is, the Herbarium Amboinense) did for the 

 plant kingdom. This work, however, was never published as 

 such, although Valentijn apparently utilized much of Rumphius's 

 data, perhaps not always acknowledging its source. His manu- 

 script reports on the agriculture of Amboina, on the fortifications 

 of Castle Victoria, description of the Amboina earthquake, a 

 Malay dictionary, and other writings are still extant. Rumph- 

 - ius's activities as an investigator other than as a student of 

 plants are here briefly mentioned merely to emphasize the ability, 

 energy, and broad interest of the man, for his record as an inves- 

 tigator is a most remarkable one, more especially so when we 

 take into consideration the period in which he lived and worked 

 and the great handicaps under which he struggled. 



AMBOINA 



Amboina, Amboyna, or Ambon, as the name is variously 

 spelled, is a small island situated about 128° east and 4° 40' 

 south, a short distance south of the western end of Ceram on 

 the north side of Banda Sea and not far from the western end 

 of New Guinea. In the history of Malayan botany it is of 

 preeminent importance, as it is the type locality of several 

 hundred species, many of which were very imperfectly character- 



* D' Amboinsche | Rariteitkamer, | Behelzende eene beschryvinge van 

 allerhande | zoo weeke als harde | Schaalvisschen, | te weeten raare | 

 Krabben, Kreeften, | en diergelyke Zeedieren, | als mede allerhande | 

 Hoorntjes en Schulpen, | die men in d' Amboinsche Zee vindt: | Daar bene- 

 vens zommige | Mineraalen, Gesteenten, | en soorten van Aarde, die in d' 

 Amboinsche, en zom- | mige omleggende Eilenden govonden worden. | Ver- 

 deelt in drie Boeken, | En met nodige Printverbeeldingen, alle naar 't 

 leven getekent, voorzien. | Beschreven door | Georgius Everhardus Rum- 

 phius, | van Hanauw, Koopman en Raad in Amboina, mitsgaders Lid van 

 het Kyzerlyke kweekschool der | onderzookers van de Natuurkuunde in 't 

 Duitsche Roomsche Ryk opgerecht onder den naam van | Plinius Indicus | 

 (1705) XXVIII + 1-340 [43], t. 1-60. 



