90 
JAVA. 
or of interlaced bamboo, and are close together, not scattered like those of the Malays. 
Tosari and several other villages are situated on the spurs of the Bromo, an active volcano, 
to view the crater of which is a most interesting and easy excursion from the hotel, and 
it is annually visited by numbers of tourists. The chief industry of the Tosari villagers is 
vegetable growing: the spurs of the Bromo, mounting up to 7000 feet, are cleared and 
planted to the top with cabbage-gardens, these vegetables finding a ready market in the 
coast towns, and even being exported to Singapore. The mountaineers are fair-skinned, 
and some have quite rosy complexions ; they are a strong and active race ; some I noticed 
had slightly developed goitre : their religion and ceremonies are Hindu. 
The soil is a very loose, sandy, volcanic ash, and is most disagreeable and tiring to 
wander over, if once the excellently kept bridle-paths are quitted: at times, when toiling up 
the slopes of this mountain, one sinks in over the ankles in this loose ash, but it has the 
great advantage of becoming dry at once after the heaviest rains. The foliage of the trees 
and shrubs is covered with a fine coating of volcanic dust, which is apparently continually 
falling. The Smeroe, a magnificent and ever active volcano, is continually shooting up 
clouds of steam and dust, which mount high in the heavens and are blown in all directions 
by the Avind, the minute sandy ash falling in fine poAvder over the country for many miles 
round. The Bromo is a mountain covered to a depth of several feet Avith fine clast, and 
after a ramble in search of birds one’s body and clothes become thickly covered Avith a fine 
black poAvder. The hills in places are very steep, OAving to the Avater-courses which, during 
the heavy rains, have cut deep ravines through the soft soil; in such places—which are too 
steep for cultivation—the mountain is clothed with most luxuriant clumps of tree-ferns, 
AA’hich must be seen to be appreciated. On the tops of the spurs and other uncultivated 
places a species of mountain pine or Casuarina forms small forests, which, as usual, are 
covered Avith dust. 
Every day, when possible, I used to wander up the steep dust-covered mountain-slopes 
in search of birds or butterflies ; the latter Avere very scarce, Avith the exception of three or 
four species, the only species of importance being the fine green-spangled Papilio parts, 
nearly allied to P. Irama, Avhich I have already described from the Benkoka. This fine 
insect frequented an extremely rocky stream, Avhich formed deep canons and Avaterfalls in 
its passage doAvn the mountain. 
My bird collection was, however, of great interest to me, and consisted of many 
interesting European genera, such as a (neAv) Blackbird ( Merula whiteheadi ), Horsfield’s 
Thrush ( Geocichla horsjieldi ), a Chat ( Pratincola caprata), a Lark ( Mirafra javanica), and 
a Titmouse ( Parus cinereus). The Blackbirds I frequently flushed in the cabbage-fields, 
and in note and manner of flight they might have been mistaken for our old familiar garden 
friend. Horsfield’s Thrush is a very rare species in collections, and is somewhat like our 
Missel-Thrush. The Titmouse mentioned seems common throughout Java, and I after- 
Avards met with it in the lowlands; in the distribution of its coloration it is similar to the 
common British Ox-eye Tit, but is Avithout any yellow in the plumage, the breast being 
nearly Avhite and the rest of the plumage pale blue-grey. 
The handsomest tropical species I obtained here was a beautiful Sun-bird ( PEthopyga 
eximia ); this species was occasionally met with amongst the fuchsias in the hotel garden. 
