CHAP. xiulO ENTOMOLOGY OF KAIOA ISLANDS, 323 



been a recent elevation of more than two liundred feet, 

 which had still more recently changed into a movement 

 of subsidence. The hill was very rugged, but among 

 dry sticks and fallen trees I found some good insects, 

 mostly of forms and species I was already acquainted 

 with from Temate and Gilolo. Finding no good paths I 

 returned^ and exploi^d the lower ground eastward of the 

 villf^e, passing through a long range of jjlantain and 

 tobacco grounds, encumbered M'ith felled and burnt logs, 

 on %vhich I found quantities of beetles of the family 

 Buprestidffi of six different species, one of which was new 

 to me. I then readied a path in the swampy forest where 

 I hoped to find some butterllies, but was disappointed. 

 Being now pretty well exhausted by the intense heat, 

 I thouglit it wise to return and reserve further exploration 

 for t]ie next day. 



When I sat down in the afternoon to arrange niy insects, 

 the house was surromKied by men, women, and children, 

 lost in amazement at my unaccountable proceedings ; and 

 when, after pinning out the specimens, I proceeded to 

 %vTite the name of the jilace on small circular tickets, 

 and attach one to each, even the old Kapala, the Mahome- 

 tan priest, and some Malay traders could not repress signs 

 of astonishment If they luid known a little more about 

 tlae ways and opinions of wlute men, they would probably 

 have looked upon me as a fool or a madman, but iu their 

 ignorance they accepted my operations as worthy of all 

 respect, although utterly Ijeyond their comprehension. 



The next day (October IGth) I went beyond the swamp, 

 and found a place where a new clearing was being made 

 in the virgin forest. It was a long and hot wdk, and the 

 search among the fallen trunks and biunches was very 

 fatiguing, but I was rewarded by obtaining about seventy 

 distinct species of beetle^s, of which at least a dozen were 

 new to me, and many others rare and interesting. I have 

 never in my life seen beetles so abundant as they were 

 on this spot. Some dozen species of good-sized golden 

 Buprestidae, green rose-chafers (Lomaptem), and long-horned 

 weevils (AnthribidiE), were so abundant that they rose up 

 in swann^ sis 1 %valked along, fillbg the air with a loud 

 buzzing hum. Along mih. these, several fine Longicorns 



T 2 



