250 TBAVKLS LX THE EAST INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



is nearly as long as the body. These bii'ds generally 

 fly in pairs, and m they dart through the evergreen 

 foliagej and you catch a glimpse of their graceful 

 forms and brilliant plumage, it seems like the mo- 

 mentary recollection of some dream of Paradise, 

 Large flocks of red Inris, Eos ruhra^ Gml., other spe- 

 cies of parrakeets, and many sorts of doves, frequent 

 the sun-oundiBg woods, and several species of ting^ 

 fishers and snipes live by the shore. For three days 

 I enjoyed this rare hunting. We then steamed out 

 of the little bay of Wahai for the island of Bunt 

 While passing Bonoa we kept near the shore, and 

 saw a large white monument which was erected by 

 the Portuguese, and is probably one of the padroes^ 

 or " pillars of discoveiy," placed there by B' Abreu 

 when he first reached these long-sought isles. Soon 

 we passed Swaugi, " Spirit Island,'* a lonely rock near 

 Manipa, supposed by these superstitious natives to 

 be haunted by some evil spirit. 



Bum, the island to which we were bound, lies a 

 few miles west of Manipa. Its area is estimated at 

 about twenty-six hundred geographical square miles, 

 so that it is one-half larger than Bali or Lombok 

 Its form is oval, ^^4th the greatest axis east and west. 

 Its shores, instead of being deeply indented, like 

 those of all the larger islands in that region, are en- 

 tire, except on the northwest comer, where they recede 

 and form the great bay of Kay^li. The entrance to 

 this bay is between two high capes, three or four 

 miles apart, so that on the northeast it is cj^uite open 

 to the sea. Within these capes the shores become 

 low, forming on the southwest a large morass ; and 



