One Of These Was A Weaver Bird With A Bright Yellow Head,
Which Built Its Bottle-Shaped Nests By Dozens On Some Trees Near
The Beach.
It was the Ploceus hypoxantha, a native of Java; and
here, at the extreme limits of its range westerly, I shot and
preserved specimens of a wagtail-thrush, an oriole, and some
starlings, all species found in Java, and some of them peculiar
to that island.
I also obtained some beautiful butterflies,
richly marked with black and orange on a white ground, and which
were the most abundant insects in the country lanes. Among these
was a new species, which I have named Pieris tamar.
Leaving Bileling, a pleasant sail of two days brought us to
Ampanam in the island of Lombock, where I proposed to remain till
I could obtain a passage to Macassar. We enjoyed superb views of
the twin volcanoes of Bali and Lombock, each about eight thousand
feet high, which form magnificent objects at sunrise and sunset,
when they rise out of the mists and clouds that surround their
bases, glowing with the rich and changing tints of these the most
charming moments in a tropical day.
The bay or roadstead of Ampanam is extensive, and being at this
season sheltered from the prevalent southeasterly winds, was as
smooth as a lake. The beach of black volcanic sand is very steep,
and there is at all times, a heavy surf upon it, which during
spring-tides increases to such an extent that it is often
impossible for boats to land, and many serious accidents have
occurred.
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