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bodies, just about under the arm-pits, the wet one drops off 
underneath. A perfectly modest performance, and how much simpler 
than our undressing in the bushes, and struggling into clothes 
again if we want to go bathing without benefit of bath-houses! 
We ask a boy who has been working for us as T? commission 
agent 1 ' all week if he can get a pestle and mortar to grind sone 
corn for the maleos. He thinks that he can rent one for five 
cents. 
Itchee, the comely young daughter of the Mandoer, spends 
the rcorning picking lice out of her young brother T s hea d . The 
Mandoer 1 s youngest sits all morning in a basin of water in the 
sun. The Mandoer f s wife, who is soon to present him with 
more offspring, watches all our iiiovements with a tired interest 
and occasional red-toothed grin (betel) . 
The daily rains make life a constant battle against 
damp and mildew. To-day we are airing everything before 
packing it. The inside of the typewriter case is positively 
mossy, shoes, helmets, towels, cameras, books all have to be 
sunned whenever there is a ray of warmth end light. 
Between rains in the late afternoon we loaded our 
menagerie aboard the Noesa Ina, the little government launch 
that is to take us back to Ambon. The P asanggrahan seemed 
very quiet after all our cages had gone, although the odor 
of cuscus is still pungent. We sent the Mandoer out for some 
disinfectant to scrub the floor, but here, in the Tropics, 
where disinfectant is needed badly, there is none to be had. 
Oh well, sun and air will doubtless do wonders before the next 
guests stop here. The Ra\ah*s room, which has been occupied 
by Henry the hornbill, needs a good deal of sun and air, too. 
May 2 - Piroe - Amboina 
We left instructions to be called at five o* clock, but 
the Mandoer, going perhaps by the sun which was not yet up, 
called us at 4.15, so we had an extremely early breakfast. By 
six all our baggage, and the few birds that had to be carried 
down by hand at the last moment, were all on board, and \ust as 
the sun came up, we hoisted the anchor and sailed away from 
Ceram. 
The Noesa Ina is small but comfortable. /bout eight o* clock 
we began to feel hungry, and two of the sailors warmed up a couple 
of tins of pea soup for us - a good nourishing breakfast. ®m»|fijai£^ 
of our white cockatoos has never been in a cage. One we left on 
its perch, and hung the perch near the rail of the boat, to Cocky ? s 
great amazement /U^he big one we put m a bamboo cage, and he 
promptly ate his way out, and had to be transferred to a cage that 
had been originally built for cuscus and was not the right size 
or shape for him at all. Otherwise the \ourney was uneventful. 
We passed close to land, and through a narrow passage instead of 
the main entrance to the harbor, and saw big white cockatoos 
flying over a little fishing vifllage. 
/bout one o'clock we reached Toele \oe on the cor Ft of 
Ambon, ss close as we cen go on this government launch to /mboina . 
Native praus came out to meet us, ?nd we clambered over the side 
of the launch and were rowed almost to shore. The water was 
