510 



NEW GUiyEA. 



[chap. XLXXIT. 



looking,' objects, blotched iill over with eruptions aud sores. 

 If thesti people are not mivages, where ^hall we find any ? 

 Yet they have all a decided Ipve for the fine arts, and 

 spend their leism-e time iu executing works whose good 

 taste aud elegance wonld often be admired in our schools 

 of design 1 



During the latter part of my stay in Kew Guinea the 

 weather was very wet, my only shooter was ill, and birds 

 became scarce, so that niy only resource was insect'hunt- 

 ing. I worked very hard eveiy hour of fine weather, and 

 daily obtained a number of new species. Every dead tree 

 and fallen log was searched and seambed again; and among 

 the dry and rotting leaves, which still hung on ceitain 

 trees which had been cut down, 1 found an abundant 

 har\^est of minute Coleoptera, AUhough 1 never after- 

 wards found so many large and handsome beetles as in 

 Borneo, yet I obtained here a great variety of species. Jor 

 the first two or three weeks, while I was searcidiig out the 

 best localities, I took about 30 different kinds of beetles a 

 day, besides about half that number of butterflies, and a 

 lew of the other orders. But afterwards, up to the very 

 last week, I averaged 49 species a day. On the 3 1st of 

 May, I took 78 distinct sorts, a larger number than 1 had 

 ever captured before, principally obtained among dead 

 trees and under rotten bark. A good long walk on a fine 

 day up the hill, and to the plantations of the natives, 

 capturing eveiytiiing not very common that came in my 

 way, would produce about 60 species ; but on the last day 

 of June 1 brought home no less than 05 distinct kinds of 

 beetles, a larger number than 1 ever obtained in one day 

 before or since. It was a line hot day, and 1 devoted it to 

 a search among dead leaves, beating foliage, aud hinitiug 

 tmder rotten bark, in all the best stations 1 had discovered 

 during my walks. I was out from ten in the morning till 

 three iu the afternoon, and it took me six liours' work at 

 home to pin and set out all t he specimens, and to separate 

 the species. Altlujugh 1 liatl aheady been worldng this 

 spot daily for two months and a half, and had obtained 

 over iiOU species of Coleoptera, this day's work added Z'l 

 new ones. Among tbese were 4 Longicorus, 2 Uarabidse, 

 7 Stapliylinidaj, 7 Curculionidte, 2 Coprid«, 4ChryBomelidaB, 



