IX TIMOR-LAUT. 



337 



fewer than twenty forms, and of tbe butterflies and insects 

 nearly one-half, that were undescribed before. 



One of the objects of my visit was to determine to what 

 zoo-geographical proviuce Timor-Iaut belonged. I^yin]^ tts 

 it does at no great distance from Aru and New Guinea on 

 the east, from Austnilia to the southward, and from Timor 

 tt» the west, it was an interesting question which of them 

 had behaved most l>ountifnlly by it. It is surrounded by a 

 very deep sea, deeper, so the captain of one of the -Dutch 

 men-of-war surveying in that region just before my return to 

 Europe informed me, than is represented in most of the charts. 

 Looking to the birds peculiar to the group, all belong to 

 Papuan genera (and nearly allied to known Papuan species) 

 with the exception of a few species, which have their nearest 

 representatives in Timor or iu Australia. The insects^ on tbe 

 other hand, as collected by me, show a great preponderance of 

 Timor over Am or new Guinea forms, with a slight Austridian 

 tinge. The presence of snakes and frogs is also of great 

 interest — a new species of the former (Simoiea forhed of 

 Bonlenger) being remarkable as the only one of 'the genus 

 known to exist east of Java — -when we consider its deep 

 surrounding sea and all the indications that the Tenimber 

 group, which is entirely of coral formation, has been elevated, 

 after a long subsidence above the surface of the sea. 



The most interesting discoveries among the birds were a 

 species of ground-thrush (Geoei^^hla machtlci), figured on the 

 opposite page ; and the finding in Timor-laut of a new species of 

 Honey-eater (PhiUmon itmorlaoemis)^ (the first bird to attract 

 our attention after landing), nmntcked by a new species of 

 Oriole [Oriolus decipiem). For some time I was quite puzzled 

 by the diflerence of behaviour of certain individuals in flocks 

 of these birds on the trees. Only after the closest comparison 

 of the dead birds in my hand was the enigma solved by my 

 perceiving that the birds were distinct species^ of widely 

 removed families, and I learned later that I had obtained 

 naw examples of that most curious case of mimicry first 

 detected (among birds) by Mr. Wallace, where an Oriole con- 

 stantly derives protection from its foes by acquiring the dress 

 of a bird always of the same powerful and gregarious Honey- 

 eAters. In the Island of Buru an Oriole accompanies and 



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