My journeya to the various islands were regulated by 

 the seasons and the means of conveyance. I visited some 

 islands two or three times at distant intervalB, and in 

 some cases had to make the same voyage four times over. 

 A chronological arrangement would have puzzled m)^ 

 readers. They would never have known where they were ; 

 and my frequent references to the groups of islands^ 

 classed in accordance with the pecoliaritiea of their 

 animal productions and of their human inhabitants, 

 would have been hardly intelligibla I have at! opted, 

 therefore, a geographical, zoological, and ethnological 

 arrangement, passing from islaud to island in what seems 

 the most natural succession, while I transgress tlie order 

 in wViich I myself visited thera as little as possible. 



I divide the Archipelago into five groups of islands, 

 as follow; — 



I, The Indo-Malay Islahds : comprising the Malay 



Peninsula and Singajxji'e, Borneo, Java, and 

 Sumatra. 



II, The Timor Group: comprising the islands of 



Timor, Flores, Sumbawa, and Lombock, with 

 several smaller ones. 

 IIL Celebes: comprising also the Sula Islands and 

 Boutin, 



IV. The Moluccan Group : comprising Bourn, Ceram, 

 Batchian, Gilolo, and Morty ; with the smaller 

 islands of Temate, Tidore, ifakian, Kai6a, Am- 

 boyna, Banda, Gorara, and Matabello. 



'V. The pAPTj^Ui Gnoup: comprising the great island 

 of New Guinea, with the Arn Islands, Mysol, 

 Salwatty, Waigion, and several others. The Ki 

 Islands are described with this group on account 

 of their ethnology, though zoologically and geo* 

 graphically they belong to the Moluccas. 



