IN TEE MOLUCCAS. 



295 



no special dress except on Sundaya. To-day we bad tbe 

 honour of seeing the Potentate of Wai proceed to church in 

 state, in his bluck trousers— which, heing rather short, disphiyed 

 II good deal of white cotton stocking— hhick ^ swallow-tail ' 

 coat made for a stouter and taller individual than himself, 

 probably his father, and a beaver hat, tall and narrow, of an 

 ancient pattern, while over his head a youth carried his 

 gilded state umbrella. The whole population attended the 

 service, all of them in black calico attire ; but their religion 

 seems to lie on them like an awesome thraldom. 



June Stk Began packing up in order to return to Amhoina 

 in time for the Timor-luut steamer of the 10th. We have ha<l 

 a delightful sojourn here notwithstanding the heavy rains that 

 set in soon after our arrival, which prevented me much to my 

 regret, from reaching the summit of Silahutu. The htter hours 

 of every afternoon have been looked forward to by us both as 

 the most pleasant of the day, when the hunters' spoils were 

 displayed to be admired, examined and lahelled. Among but- 

 terflies we have added a few more of the &i\g. Ornithopiem 

 fciind at Paso, numbers of " Swallow-tails," chief among them 

 the deep blue FitpiUo ^nhjsses^ species of Hebomoia and Pieris, 

 Charaxts etirifolus^ and many " Blues ; among beetles we 

 have added to onr collection many species of idl the finest 

 families, Longicorns, Rose-chafers, Tiger- beetles and golden 

 Bnpi-estldm ■ among birds may be mentioned the beautiful 

 raqnet'tailed Kingtishers of the genus Tamjsiptera, which I 

 was rather surprised to find in large chattering corrohories in 

 the tops of high trees; Maleos, whose terra-cotta eggs are 

 eagerly hunted for by the natives as a table luxury ; Meffa- 

 lurm amhoutemis, an isabelline l^eed-warbler found chirping 

 among the tall Kussn grass; bright orange Thick-heads 

 (Fachijcephtdii), Lories, and among our favourite pigeons num- 

 bers of the beautiful black and cream-white nutmeg-eaters 

 (Myruticivora hicohr) of which the little islet of Pulu Pombo, 

 lying a few miles oil' the coast, is a densely populated colum- 

 barium. The most interesting of the plants are species of 

 Mijrnmodia,on which I have been able to continue the observa- 

 tions begun at Kosala in Java (see pages 7U-82). 



To-day I had a long talk with the rajah and some of the 

 people of the neighbouring ^lahomedan village, from whom I 



