CflAP, X.l 



SUPERABUNDANCE OF INShVT LIFE. 



and TTifiny other islands, the hirvin of bees ftiicl wasps aiB 

 eaten, either alive as pulled out of the cells, or Med like 

 the dragon-flies. In the Moluccas the grubs ot" the palm- 

 beetles (Calandra) are regularly brought to market in bam- 

 boos, and sold for food; and many of the great horned 

 Lamenicorii beetles are slightly roasted on the embers and 

 eaten whenever met with. The superabundance of insect 

 life is therefore turned to some account by these islanders. 



Finding that h'lnh were not very numerous, anrl 

 hearing much of Laltuau Triug at the southern extremity 

 of the bay, where there \\"ds ."^aid to be nmeh uncultivated 

 country and plenty of Innh as well as deer and wihi 

 ]iigs, I determined to go there with ray two servants, Ali, 

 the Malay lad from Borneo, and Manuel, a Portuguese of 

 Malacca accustomed .to bird-skinning, I hired a native 

 boat with outriggers, to take ns with our small quantity 

 of luggage, and a day's rowing and tracldng along the 

 shore brought us to the placa 



I had a note of introduction to an And)oyno.'5e Mulay, 

 and obtained the use of part of bis bouse to live and work 

 iiL His name was " Inohi Daud " (Mr. David), nnd lie w;is 

 very civil ; but his accommodations ^vore limited, and he 

 could only give nie part of bis reception-room. This was 

 the front part of a bamboo house (reached by a ladder of 

 about six rounds very wide apart), and having a beautiful 

 view over the bay. However, I soon made what arraii^*^- 

 nients were possible, and then set to work. The country 

 aixjund was pretty and novel to me, consisting of abrupt 

 volcanic lulls enclosing flat valleys or open plains. The 

 hills were covered with a dense scrubby bush of bambof>fS 

 and prickly trees and' shrubs, the i)laiiis were adorned with 

 liundreds of noble palm-trees, and iti many places with 

 a luxuriant shmbby vegetation. Birds %vere plentiful and 

 very interesting, nnd 1 now saw for the flrst time many 

 Australian forms that are quite absent from the islands 

 westward. Small white cockatoos were abundant, and 

 their loud screams, conspicuous white colour, aud pretty 

 yellow crests, rendered them a very important feature in 

 the landscape This is the most westerly point on the 

 globe where any of the family are to be found. Some 

 small honeysuckers of the genus Ptdotis, and the strange 



