390 



BOURU. 



[chap. XXVI, 



Celebes, approach to within forty miles of the north coast 

 of Bouru, while tlie island of Mariipa offers an easy point 

 of departiiro for the people of Cerani. I was coutirmed in 

 this view by finding that the langiia;];es of Bouni possessed 

 distinct resemblances to tliat of Sula, as well as to those 

 of GerariL 



Soon after we had arrived at Waypoti, Ali had seen a 

 beautiful little bird of the genus Pitta, which I was very 

 anxious to obtain, as in almost tivcry island the species are 

 dyferent, and none were yet known from Bourn, He and 

 my other hunter continvied to see ii two or three times a 

 week, and to hear its pecuUar note much oft4>ner, but could 

 never get a specimen, owing to it^ always frequenting the 

 most dense thorny thickets, where only hasty glimpses of 

 it could be obtained, and at so short a distance that it 

 would be difficult to avoid blowing the bird to pieces. Ali 

 was very much annoyed that he could not fjet a specimen 

 of this bird, in going after which he had already .severely 

 wounded Ids feet with thorns ; and when we had only two 

 days more to stay, he went of his accord one evening 

 to 'sleep at a little hut in tbe forest some miles olf, in order 

 to have a liist try for it at daybreak, when many birds 

 come out to feed, and are very intent on then* morning 

 meal. The next evening he brought me home tw^o speci- 

 mens, one with the head blown completely off, and other- 

 wise too much injured to preseive, the other in "v^ery good 

 order, and which I at ouce saw to be a new species, very 

 like the Pitta celebensis, but ornamented with a squai'e 

 patch of bright red on the nape of llie neck. 



The next day after securing this prize we returned to 

 Cajeli, and packing up my collections left Bouru by the 

 steamer. During our two days' stay at Ternate, I took on 

 board what baggage I had left there, and bade adieu to 

 all my friends. AVe then crossed over to Men ado, on our 

 way to Macassai- and Java, and I finally quitted the 

 Jlohiccas, among whose luxuriant and beautiful islands 1 

 had wandered ibr more than three years. 



My collections in Bomii, though not extensive, were of 

 considerabhi interest; for out of sixty-six species of birds 

 which I collected there, no less than seventeeii were new, 

 or had not been previously found in aiiy inland of the 



