436 ^4RU ISLANDS, [chap, xxx. 



My boys shot five sorts of birds, none of wbicli we had 

 obtained during a mouth's shootiii.i; in Wamma. Two 

 were very pretty fiycatcliers, alr<3ady known from New 

 Guinea ; one ©f them (Monarcha chrysomela), of brilliant 

 black and briglit orange colours, is by some authors con- 

 sidered to be the most beautiful of all fly catchers ; the 

 other is pure white and velvety black, with a broad fleshy 

 ring room] the eye of an azure blue colour ; it is named 

 the "spectacled flycatcher" (Monarcha tflescopthalma), 

 and waa first found in New Guinea, along with the other, 

 by the French naturalists during the voyage of the dis- 

 covery-ship €oquiik. 



Feb. IStL — ISefore leaving Macassar, I liad written to 

 the Governor of Amboyna requesting him to assist me 

 with the native chiefs of Arn. I now received by a 

 vessel which had arrived from Amboyna a very polite 

 answer, infomung me that orders had been sent to give 

 me every assistance that I miglit require; and I was just 

 congratulating myself on being at length able to get a boat 

 and men to go to the mainland and explore the interior, 

 when a sudden check came in the fonu of a pii'atical 

 incursion, A small pran arrived which liad been 

 attacked by pirates and had a man wounded. They 

 were said to have live boats, but more were expected to be 

 behind, and the tmders were aU in consternation, fearing 

 that their small vessels sent trading to the '* blakaug tana " 

 would be piundered. The Am natives were of course 

 dreadfully alarmed, as these marauders attack their 

 villages, burn and murder, and carry away women and 

 children for slaves. Not a man will stir from his village 

 for some time, and I must remain still a prisoner in 

 Dobbo. The Governor of Amboyna, out of pure kind- 

 ness, has told the chiefs that they are to be respon- 

 fiible for my safety, so that tliey have an excellent excuse 

 for refusing to stir. 



Several praus went out in search of the pirates, sentinels 

 wei-e appointed, and watch-fires lighted on the beach to 

 guard against the possibility of a night attack, though it 

 was hardly thought they w^ould be bold enough to attempt 

 to plunder Dobbo. The next day the praus returned, and 

 we had positive information that these scoui^es of the 



