CfHAr. XXVII.] KATURAL HISTORY. 091 



Moluccas. Aiiiong these were two Idngflshers, Tanysip- 

 tera acis and Ceyx Cajeli ; a beautiful sunbirti, Kectarinea 

 proserpina ; a liandsomc little black and white ilycatcher, 

 iRioiiarcha loricata, whose swelling throat was beautifully 

 scaled with metallic blue ; and several of less interest. I 

 also obtained a skull of the babirusa, one specimen of 

 which was killed by native hunters during my residence 

 at Ciijell 



CrUVPTEK XXVIL 



THE NATUKAL HISTORY OF THE MOLUCCAS. 



THE Moluccas consist of three large islands, Gilolo, 

 Cerani, and Boin-u, the two fi^rmer being each about 

 two hundred miles long ; and a great number of smaller 

 isles and islets, the most important of which are Batchian, 

 Morty, Obi, K^, Timor-laut, and Ambwna; and among 

 the smaller ones, Teruate, Tidore, Kaioa, and Bauda. These 

 occupy a space of ten dej^eos of latitude by eiglit of 

 longitude, and they are connected by ^.Toiips of small islets 

 to New Guinea on the eiist, the PliilippiiR-s on the north, 

 Celebes on the west, and Timor on the south. It be 

 as well to bear in mind these main features of extent and 

 geographical position, while we survey their animal pi"o- 

 ductions and discuss their relations to tho countries wliich 

 Bun-ound them on eveiy side in almost equal pi*oxiraity. 



We will fii-st consider the Mammalia, or warm-blooded 

 quadnipeds, which present us with some singidar anomalies. 

 The land mammals are exceedingly few in number, only 

 ten being yet known from the entire gi'oup. The bats or 

 aiirial mammals, on the other hand, are numerous — not less 

 than twenty-five species being already known. But even 

 this exceeding poverty of terrestrial niamnials does not at 

 all represent the real poverty of the ^Moluccas in this 

 class of animals ; for, as we sliall soon see, there is good 

 reason to believe that several of the species have been 

 introduced by man, eitlier purposely or by accident 



The only quadmmanous animal in the group is the 



