Finding No Good Paths I Returned, And Explored The Lower
Ground Eastward Of The Village, Passing Through A Long Range
Of
plantain and tobacco grounds, encumbered with felled and burnt
logs, on which I found quantities of beetles of the
Family
Buprestidae of six different species, one of which was new to me.
I then reached a path in the swampy forest where I hoped to find
some butterflies, but was disappointed. Being now pretty well
exhausted by the intense heat, I thought it wise to return and
reserve further exploration for the next day.
When I sat down in the afternoon to arrange my insects, the louse
was surrounded by men, women, and children, lost in amazement at
my unaccountable proceedings; and when, after pinning out the
specimens, I proceeded to write the name of the place on small
circular tickets, and attach one to each, even the old Kapala,
the Mahometan priest, and some Malay traders could not repress
signs of astonishment. If they had known a little more about the
ways and opinions of white men, they would probably have looked
upon me as a fool or a madman, but in their ignorance they
accepted my operations as worthy of all respect, although utterly
beyond their comprehension.
The next day (October 16th) I went beyond the swamp, and found a
place where a new clearing was being made in the virgin forest.
It was a long and hot walk, and the search among the fallen
trunks and branches was very fatiguing, but I was rewarded by
obtaining about seventy distinct species of beetles, of which at
least a dozen were new to me, and many others rare and
interesting. I have never in my life seen beetles so abundant as
they were on this spot. Some dozen species of good-sized golden
Buprestidae, green rose-chafers (Lomaptera), and long-horned
weevils (Anthribidae), were so abundant that they rose up in
swarms as I walked along, filling the air with a loud buzzing
hum. Along with these, several fine Longicorns were almost
equally common, forming such au assemblage as for once to realize
that idea of tropical luxuriance which one obtains by looking
over the drawers of a well-filled cabinet. On the under sides of
the trunks clung numbers of smaller or more sluggish Longicorns,
while on the branches at the edge of the clearing others could be
detected sitting with outstretched antenna ready to take flight
at the least alarm. It was a glorious spot, and one which will
always live in my memory as exhibiting the insect-life of the
tropics in unexampled luxuriance. For the three following days I
continued to visit this locality, adding each time many new
species to my collection-the following notes of which may be
interesting to entomologists. October l5th, 33 species of
beetles; 16th, 70 species; 17th, 47 species; 18th, 40 species;
19th, 56 species - in all about a hundred species, of which forty
were new to me. There were forty-four species of Longicorns among
them, and on the last day I took twenty-eight species of
Longicorns, of which five were new to me.
My boys were less fortunate in shooting. The only birds at all
common were the great red parrot (Eclectus grandis), found in
most of the Moluccas, a crow, and a Megapodius, or mound-maker. A
few of the pretty racquet-tailed kingfishers were also obtained,
but in very poor plumage. They proved, however, to be of a
different species from those found in the other islands, and come
nearest to the bird originally described by Linnaeus under the
name of Alcedo dea, and which came from Ternate. This would
indicate that the small chain of islands parallel to Gilolo have
a few peculiar species in common, a fact which certainly occurs
in insects.
The people of Kaioa interested me much. They are evidently a
mixed race, having Malay and Papuan affinities, and are allied to
the peoples of Ternate and of Gilolo. They possess a peculiar
language, somewhat resembling those of the surrounding islands,
but quite distinct. They are now Mahometans, and are subject to
Ternate, The only fruits seen here were papaws and pine-apples,
the rocky soil and dry climate being unfavourable. Rice, maize,
and plantains flourish well, except that they suffer from
occasional dry seasons like the present one. There is a little
cotton grown, from which the women weave sarongs (Malay
petticoats). There is only one well of good water on the islands,
situated close to the landing-place, to which all the inhabitants
come for drinking water. The men are good boat-builders, and they
make a regular trade of it and seem to be very well off.
After five days at Kaiķa we continued our journey, and soon got
among the narrow straits and islands which lead down to the town
of Batchian. In the evening we stayed at a settlement of Galela
men. These are natives of a district in the extreme north of
Gilolo, and are great wanderers over this part of the
Archipelago. They build large and roomy praus with outriggers,
and settle on any coast or island they take a fancy for. They
hunt deer and wild pig, drying the meat; they catch turtle and
tripang; they cut down the forest and plant rice or maize, and
are altogether remarkably energetic and industrious. They are
very line people, of light complexion, tall, and with Papuan
features, coming nearer to the drawings and descriptions of the
true Polynesians of Tahiti and Owyhee than any I have seen.
During this voyage I had several times had an opportunity of
seeing my men get fire by friction. A sharp-edged piece of bamboo
is rubbed across the convex surface of another piece, on which a
small notch is first cut. The rubbing is slow at first and
gradually quicker, till it becomes very rapid, and the fine
powder rubbed off ignites and falls through the hole which the
rubbing has cut in the bamboo.
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