158 



lOMBOCK, 



(CHAP. JC. 



far a shot, a second glimpse would cnaHc mc to secure my 

 prize, and admire its soft pufiy pliiinage and lovely colours. 

 Tlie upper ]iart is rich soft green, tlie head jet lilack witli 

 u stripe of blue and brown over each eye ; at tbe base of 

 the tail arid on the shoulders are bnnds of bright silvery 

 blue, and the under side is delicate buff witli a stripe of 

 rich crimson, bordered with black on the hclly. B<?autiful 

 p,mss-green doves, little crimsoii and black llower-peckers, 

 hu-r^e black cuckoos, metallic king-crows, pjoklen oriulcs, 

 and the fine jungle-cocks — the ori<rin of all one domestic 

 breeds of poultry — were amonjr the birds that ehieliy 

 attracted my attention during o\ir stay at Labuan Triisg, 



The most cliaracteristic feature of the jungle was its 

 thorniness. Tlie shrubs were tliomy ; the creepers were 

 thorny ; the bamboos even were thorny. E\'eiytbing grew 

 isifTZEig and jnfiged, and in an inextricable tangle, so that to 

 m;t through the bush with gun or net or even spectiicle^s, 

 wafj generally not to be done, and insect-catching in such 

 localities was out of the question. It was n\ such places 

 that the Pittas often Inrked, and when shot it became a 

 matter of some difiiculty to secure the bird, and seldom 

 without a }n'avy payment of pricks and scratches and torn 

 clothes could the prize be won. The dry volcanic soil 

 and arid climate seem favourable to the production of such 

 stunted and tliorny vegetation, for the natives assured ms 

 iiiat this was nothing to the thorns and prickles of Smn- 

 bawa, whose surface still bears the covering of volcanic 

 ashes thrown out forty years ago by the terrible eruption 

 of Tomboro. Among the shmbs and trees that are not 

 }>rickly the Apocynaccaj were most abundant, their biloljed 

 fruits of varied form and colour and often of most tempting 

 appearance, hanging everywhere by the waysides as if to 

 invite to destruction the weaiy traveller who may be un- 

 aware of their poisonous properties. One in particular 

 with a smooth shining akin of a golden orfinge colour 

 rivals in appearance the golden apples of the Hesperides, 

 i\nd has gieat attractions for many birds, from the white 

 cockatoos to the little yellow Zostcrops, who feast on the 

 crimson seeds which are displayed when the fmit bursts 

 open. Tlie great ]ialm called *' Gubbong " by the natives, 

 a species of Coryplia, is the most striking feature of the 



