232 



CELEBES. 



[criAP. XVI. 



few new to me. Insects werti Lolurably pleutifnl, but 

 uuef^ual. Beetles, usually so numerous and interesting, 

 weve exceedingly scarce, some of the tauiilles being quite 

 abseut and othei3 only reprtseuted by veiy minute species. 

 The Flies and Bees, on the ether hand, were abundant, and 

 of these 1 daily obtained new and interesting species. 

 The rare and beautiful Butteriiies of Celebes were the 

 chief object of my search, and 1 found many species 

 altogether new to me, but they were generally so active 

 and shy as to render tlieir capture a matter of great 

 difficulty. Almost the oidy good place for them was in 

 the dry beds of the streams in the forest, where, at damp 

 places, muddy pools, or even on the dry rocks, all sorts of 

 insects could be found. In these rocky forests dwell some 

 of the tine^t butteriiies in the world, Thi-ee species of 

 Urnithoptera, measurixtg seven or eight inches across the 

 wings, and beautifully marked with spots or masses of 

 satiny yellow on a black ground, wheel tlu'ough the 

 thickets with a strong sailing liight. About the damp 

 places are swarms of the beautiful blue-banded I'apilios, 

 miletus and telephns, the superb golden green i\ macedon, 

 and the rare little swallow-tail Tapiliu rhesus, of all of 

 which, though very active, I succeeded iu capturing tine 

 series of specimens, 



1 have rarely enjoyed myself more than during my 

 residence here. As 1 sat taking my cotl'ee at six in the 

 morning, rare birds wuuld often be seen on some tree close 

 by, when I would hastily sally out in my slippex's, and 

 perhaps secure a priiie 1 had been seeking after for weeks. 

 The great honibills of Celebes (Bueeros ci^sidix} woidd 

 often come witli loud-ilapping wings, and perch upon a 

 lofty tree just m front of me ; and the black baliuou- 

 monkeys, Cynopiihecus nigi-e-sceus, often stared down in 

 astonishment at such an intrnsion into their domains ; 

 while at night herds of wild fiigs roamed about the house, 

 devouring refuse, and obliging \u to put away everything 

 eatable or brcidtablc from our little cooking-house. A few 

 niinntes' search on the fallen trees around my house at 

 sunrise and sunset, would often produce me more beetles 

 than I would meet with in a day's collecting, and odd 

 moments could be made valuable wliich when living in 



