It Has Very Long And Strong Legs, And
Hops About With Such Activity In The Dense Tangled Forest,
Bristling With Rocks, As To Make It Very Difficult To Shoot.
In September 1858, after my return from New Guinea, I went to
stay some time at the village of Djilolo, situated in a bay on
the northern peninsula.
Here I obtained a house through the
kindness of the Resident of Ternate, who sent orders to prepare
one for me. The first walk into the unexplored forests of a new
locality is a moment of intense interest to the naturalist, as it
is almost sure to furnish him with something curious or hitherto
unknown. The first thing I saw here was a flock of small
parroquets, of which I shot a pair, and was pleased to find a
most beautiful little long-tailed bird, ornamented with green,
red, and blue colours, and quite new to me. It was a variety of
the Charmosyna placentis, one of the smallest and most elegant of
the brush-tongued lories. My hunters soon shot me several other
fine birds, and I myself found a specimen of the rare and
beautiful day-flying moth, Cocytia d'Urvillei.
The village of Djilolo was formerly the chief residence of the
Sultans of Ternate, till about eighty years ago, when at the
request of the Dutch they removed to their present abode. The
place was then no doubt much more populous, as is indicated by
the wide extent of cleared land in the neighbourhood, now covered
with coarse high grass, very disagreeable to walk through, and
utterly barren to the naturalist. A few days' exploring showed me
that only some small patches of forest remained for miles wound,
and the result was a scarcity of insects and a very limited
variety of birds, which obliged me to change my locality. There
was another village called Sahoe, to which there was a road of
about twelve miles overland, and this had been recommended to me
as a good place for birds, and as possessing a large population
both of Mahomotans and Alfuros, which latter race I much wished
to see. I set off one morning to examine this place myself,
expecting to pass through some extent of forest on my way. In
this however I was much disappointed, as the whole road lies
through grass and scrubby thickets, and it was only after
reaching the village of Sahoe that some high forest land was
perceived stretching towards the mountains to the north of it.
About half-way we dad to pass a deep river on a bamboo raft,
which almost sunk beneath us. This stream was said to rise a long
way off to the northward.
Although Sahoe did not at all appear what I expected, I
determined to give it a trial, and a few days afterwards obtained
a boat to carry my things by sea while I walked overland. A large
house on the beach belonging to the Sultan was given me.
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