/X HUM Am A, 



pxtunined, tlie grt-ater is seen to be the extreme chftsteness uf 

 their luarldngSj and their rich, vtiried and harmoniona colouring. 

 Wlu'ii ftlMrtiit'd tho Argiis eseapcs by rmiiiiiig tlirough thi^ 

 thieU iitnlersenih, viXwn the briliuiuey of it^* plumage, l>y being 

 gathered close about its body, is quite concealed. 



Till 1 had dbserved it at a biter period, I was not aware of iN 

 habit of making n large eircu.^, aume ton to twelve feet in 

 diameter, in the forest, which it clears of every leaf and twig 

 find braneh, till the ground is perfectly swept and garnished. 

 On the margin rif this circus there m invariably a projecting 

 branch or high-arched root, at a few feet elevation above the 

 ground, on wliich the female bird takes its place, while in the 

 ring the male — the male birds alone possess great decoration — 

 shows off uli its magnificence for the gratification and pletisure 

 of his e(>nsi>rt, and to exalt himself in her eyes. It is a strange 

 fact that when the male bird has been caught — these birds 

 are much trapped by the natives, their excessive shyness 

 making it almost impossibh^ to shoot them — the female in- 

 variably returUiH to the same circus with a now mate, even if 

 two or three times in succession her lord should be eaught. 

 The female bird is rarely caught, owing to her flying to her 

 roost when approaehing the circus, while the great winged 

 males walk into the ring, whieh the luitive skilfnlly barricades 

 all round except the one spot wliere he sets his snare. 



The houses in Kotta-djawa at tirst sight looked as if they 

 were all roof and no body, for the broad tiiatched slopes and 

 gables reached down to Avithin five or six feet from the ground, 

 uherc they projected out sonierthat horizimtfUly, so as to leave 

 a free space all round the square bzimboi* or bark-made, box- 

 like, prupped-np edifice, in which, protected from sun and rain, 

 most of the rice-stamping and other household operations were 

 performed. In south Sumatra, though rivers abound, and 

 there is much level land, the natives, till very recently, took 

 always their rice crops from forest land, which produces a far 

 leas return of grain, of a quality, too, much inferior to sawah 

 (or wet'fiehl) grown corn. To make this Jadmuj the native 

 goes after the virgin forest, leaving his old fields to produce a 

 new crop of Irees, if the ^abmg-alang ^rass does not get the 

 Tipper hand. ^ ' 



The virgin woods contain the really interesting and vain- 



K 2 



