210 Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh— Journey to British 
triviryata), the Eastern Grey Cuscus ( Phalanger orientalis ), 
and other varieties of the latter family, with several 
species of rats which have not as yet been identified. 
Our spirit-jars were rapidly filling with crabs, frogs, 
chameleons, a few snakes, prawns, and other denizens of the 
jungle. In a very short time we had so many birds to deal 
with that we had absolutely no time to devote to shooting, 
and for that reason seldom stirred from the house. Even 
bread-making was voted a nuisance, and we often substituted 
biscuits for it. All our available cages and the two 
aviaries beneath the house now held as many inmates as was 
compatible with safety, so we began the construction, with 
the help of our staff and'numerous villagers, of a very large 
aviary for additions, which, however, time did not permit us 
to complete. 
New Guinea is not connected with Australia by cable, and 
steamers only call at Yule Island every tenth week, while a 
schooner brings the mails every fifth week. To entrust such 
delicate freight as birds to a schooner was not to be thought 
of, so that we had to settle the question whether we could 
catch the steamer that called at the island on April 19th. 
This meant that our collecting must end within less than a 
month of our arrival at Madiu, Nevertheless, considering the 
numerous birds which we had on hand and continued to receive 
daily, we thought it better to make active preparations for 
departure. Orders were therefore sent far and wide declining 
to receive further specimens, as we were very doubtful whether 
enough natives could be obtained to carry what we already 
had down to the coast. About a week before commencing 
our return-journey our boys were busily engaged in making 
reed cages for the various birds, which with the other cages 
previously brought out from England numbered twenty-three 
in all, and there were other packages besides. The bulk of 
our stores were left in our house, as Stalker proposed to return 
there when I had joined the steamer at Yule Island with 
the birds, and intended proceeding further inland in pursuit 
of the magnificent Prince Rudolph's Bird-of-Paradise 
[Paradisornis rudolphi). 
