I Was Informed, However, That The Small Red Species,
The "King Bird Of Paradise," Retains Its Plumage At All Seasons,
And This I Might Therefore Hope To Get.
As I became familiar with the forest scenery of the island,
(perceived it to possess some characteristic features that
distinguished it from that of Borneo and Malacca, while, what is
very singular and interesting, it recalled to my mind the half-
forgotten impressions of the forests of Equatorial America.
For
example, the palms were much more abundant than I had generally
found them in the East, more generally mingled with the other
vegetation, more varied in form and aspect, and presenting some
of those lofty and majestic smooth-stemmed, pinnate-leaved
species which recall the Uauassu (Attalea speciosa) of the
Amazon, but which I had hitherto rarely met with in the Malayan
islands.
In animal life the immense number and variety of spiders and of
lizards were circumstances that recalled the prolific regions of
south America, more especially the abundance and varied colours
of the little jumping spiders which abound on flowers and
foliage, and are often perfect gems of beauty. The web-spinning
species were also more numerous than I had ever seen them, and
were a great annoyance, stretching their nets across the
footpaths just about the height of my face; and the threads
composing these are so strong and glutinous as to require much
trouble to free oneself from them. Then their inhabitants, great
yellow-spotted monsters with bodies two inches long, and legs in
proportion, are not pleasant to o run one's nose against while
pursuing some gorgeous butterfly, or gazing aloft in search of
some strange-voiced bird.
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