THE GEEAT BHiD OP PARADISE. 



231 



it seems a wonder that sucli awkward hoats can live 

 any time in a rougli sea. A numl>er of Biigis traders 

 are also at anchor near by. They ai"e mostly heimar 

 phrodite schoonere, carrying a square-saiL or foresail, a 

 fore-topsail, and fore-royal, and evidently designed, 

 like the praus, to sail only before the wind. They 

 visit the eastern end of Ceram, the southwestern and 

 western parts of Papua or New Guinea, the Arus, and 

 most of the thousand islands between Banda, Timur, 

 and Australia, When the mail-steamer that took 

 me to Amboina touched here, a merchant of this 

 place, w^ho joined us, brought on board four large 

 living specimens of the Piwadma apoda or " Great 

 Bird of Paradise,'' which he had purchased a short 

 time before fix>m one of these traders, and was tak- 

 ing with him to Eui'ope,* They were all sprightly, 

 and their colors had a bright, lively hue, incompar- 

 ably richer than the most magnificent specimens I 

 have ever seen iu any museum. 



At onr main truck a small flag slowly unfolds 

 and displays a red ball. This indicates that the gov- 

 ernor is on board, and immediately a boat comes to 

 take 118 to the village ; but as business is not press- 

 ing — as is usually the case in the East — we prefer to 

 conform to the established custom in these hot lands, 

 and enjoy a B^iesta^ instead of obliging our good Mends 

 on shore to come out in full dress and parade in the 

 scorching sunshine. 



At 5 p. M. we landed, and the Resident politely 

 conducted us to his residence. Our first excursion 



* Subsequently I learned that two of them were still living when he 

 reached France. 



