CHAP, ixv.] 



A RACE OF TiLiMK&S. 



371 



sea within it would form a wall of coral rock, and aa 

 undulating corallioe plain, exactly sinidar to tliose that 

 still exist at various aUltudfiiS up to the suuiiuit ot tUe 

 island. We learn abo tliat these changes have taken place 

 at a comparatively recent opocli, for the surface of the 

 coral has scarcely suffered fioni the action of tlie weather, 

 and hundreds of sea-ahells, exactly resemhlin*; those still 

 found upon the beach, and many of theiu retainiuj^ their 

 glosa aoil even their colour, are scattered over the surface 

 of the island to near its suuimit. 



Whetlier the Goram j^roup formed originally part of 

 New Guinea or of Ceram it is scarcely possible to deter- 

 mine, and its pi-oductions will throw little light upon tlie 

 question, if, as 1 suppose, the islands have been entirely 

 submerged within the epoch of existing species of animals, 

 as in that case it must owe its present fauna and tlora 

 to recent immigration from surrounding lauds ; and with 

 this view its poverty in species very well agrees. It 

 possesses much in common with East Ceram, but at the 

 same time has a good deal of resemblance to the Ke 

 Islands and Banda. The fine pigeon, Uarpophaga coneinna, 

 inliabits Ke, Banda, Matabello, and Goram, and is replaced 

 by a distinct species, C. neglecta, in Ceram, The insects of 

 these four islands have also a common facies — facts which 

 seem to indicate that some more extensive laud has 

 recently disappeared from the area they now occupy, 

 and has supplied them with a few of its peculiar pro- 

 ductions. 



Tlie Goram people (among whom I stayed a month) are a 

 race of traders. Every year they visit the Tcnimbcr, Kd, 

 and Aru Islands, the whole north-west coast of New 

 Guinea from Ootanata to 8alwatty, and the islands of 

 Waigiou and Mvsol. They also extend their voyages to 

 Tidure and Termite, as well as to Banda and Amboyna. 

 Their praus are all made by that wonderful race of boat- 

 budders, the islanders, who annually turn out some 

 hundreds of boats, large and small, which can hardly be 

 surpassed for beauty of form and goodness of workmanship. 

 They trade chiefly in tri pang, the medicinal mussoi bark, 

 wild nutmegs, and tortoise-shell, which they sell to the 

 Bngis traders at Ceram-laut or Aru, few of them caring to 



B B 2 



