CHAP. XUV.] 



INSECT HUNTIKO, 



337 



every good specimen he could catch. After a day or 

 two be brought me two very fair specimens, and told me 

 he liad cauglit tliem in the bed of a large rocky stream 

 that descends from the mountains to the sea about a mile 

 below the village. They flew down this river, settling 

 occasioualiy on stones and rocks in the water, and he was 

 (ibhged to wade up it or jump from rock to rock to get at 

 Uiem, I wont with him one day, but found that the 

 fcti-eara wa^ far too rapid and the stones too shppery for 

 jae to do anything, so I left it entirely to him, and all the 

 rest of the time we stayed in Batchian be used to be out 

 oil day, generally bringing me one, and on good days two 

 or three specimens. 1 was thus able to brin^; away with 

 me more than a hundred of both sexes, ineluiling perhaps 

 twenty very fine males, though not more than five or six 

 that were absohitely perfect. 



My daily walk now led me, first about half a mile along 

 the sandy beach, then through a sago swamp over a cause- 

 way of very shaky poles to the village of tiie Tomoro 

 people. Beyond this was the forest with patches of new 

 clwiring, shady paths, and a considerable quantity of 

 felled timber. 1 found this a very fair collecting ground, 

 especially for beetles. The fallen trunks in the clearings 

 abounded \Ki\h. golden Buprestidaa and curious Brenthidoe 

 and longicorns, while in the forest I found abundance of 

 the smaller Curculionidie, many longicorns, and some fine 

 green Carabida?. 



Butterflies were not abundant, but 1 obtained a few 

 moi-e of the fine blue Papilio, and a number of beautifid 

 iittle Lyccenida;, as well as a single specimen of the very 

 rare Papilio Wallacei, of wliich I had taken the hitherto 

 unique specimen in the Aru Islands. 



The most interesting birds I obtained hei*e, were the 

 beautiful blue kingfisher, Todiramphus diops; the fine 

 green and purple doves, I'tilonopus superbus and P. 

 iogaster, and sevei-al new birds of small size. My shooters 

 still brought me in specimens of the Semioptera Wallacei. 

 and I was greatly excited by the positive statements of 

 several of the native hunt^^rs that another species of this 

 bird existed, inuch handsomer and more remarkable. They 

 declaim that the plumage was glossy black, with metallic 



