Feb. 22 , 1858 .] 
WALLACE ON THE ARRU ISLANDS. 
167 
highly probable tbat all the birds of Arru are also found in New 
Guinea ; for, to illustrate by an analogous case, suppose about one 
hundred species of birds had been collected in various parts of 
Europe, and a person were then to collect for six months in Eng- 
land, it is not likely that more than thirty birds would be common 
to the two collections, although, every English bird is also found on 
the continent. Some of these birds, however, are incapable of flight, 
as the cassowary, closely allied to the emeu of Australia ; others are 
short-winged ground feeders, as the beautiful ground thrushes 
(Pitta), two species of which are identical with the only two known 
from New Guinea; others, again, as the “ great bird of paradise” 
and the “king bird of paradise,” are found only in New Guinea 
and Arru, and not in the islands of Ke and Goram, which actually 
approach considerably nearer to New Guinea than does any part of 
Arru. These facts, scanty "as they must necessarily be in the pre- 
sent imperfect state of our knowledge of the zoology of New Guinea, 
certainly support the view I have taken of the former connection of 
the Arru Islands with that country. 
A few remarks on the inhabitants and on the trade of Arru will 
now be given. The natives are all of the Papuan race, having typi- 
cally a nearly black skin and woolly or frizzly hair. They are 
taller than the Malays, and more slenderly made; have a flatter 
forehead, more projecting brows, larger and thicker nose, with the 
apex rather bent down, and thick lips. The varieties, however, are 
so numerous and puzzling, that a person unacquainted with their 
origin would be apt to conclude that no line of demarcation could 
be drawn between the Papuan and Malay races. In Arru there are 
evident signs of the admixture of Malay, Arab, and European blood, 
and that so extensively and for so long a period, that the mixed 
races perhaps preponderate over the pure Papuans. Everywhere 
are found natives of Macassar, Javanese, Ceramese, and Amboynese, 
who have native wives, and have settled permanently in the 
country. In the Mohammedan districts a lighter skin, and finer 
features, indicate the infusion of Arab blood, while the discovery 
of many Portuguese words still in use in Arru, though unknown to 
the Malays, enables me to account for some decided South European 
characteristics which I had previously observed. That enterprising 
nation had evidently discovered these remote islands, and com- 
menced the trade with them during the short period they held the 
supreme dominion of the Eastern seas. 
The languages spoken in Arru are very numerous, but they pos- 
sess so much in common that the different tribes can make them- 
selves understood without much trouble. The affinities of the lan- 
