Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The next day I went to see Mr. S., another merchant to whom I had brought letters of in-
troduction, and who lived about seven miles off. Mr. Carter kindly lent me a horse, and I
was accompanied by a young Dutch gentleman residing at Ampanam, who offered to be my
guide. We first passed through the town and suburbs along a straight road bordered by mud
walls and a fine avenue of lofty trees; then through rice-fields, irrigated in the same manner
as I had seen them at Bileling, and afterwards over sandy pastures near the sea, and occa-
sionally along the beach itself. Mr. S. received us kindly, and offered me a residence at his
house should I think the neighbourhood favourable for my pursuits. After an early breakfast
we went out to explore, taking guns and insect-net. We reached some low hills which
seemed to offer the most favourable ground, passing over swamps, sandy flats overgrown
with coarse sedges, and through pastures and cultivated grounds, finding however very little
in the way of either birds or insects. On our way we passed one or two human skeletons, en-
closed within a small bamboo fence, with the clothes, pillow, mat, and betel-box of the un-
fortunate individual,—who had been either murdered or executed. Returning to the house,
we found a Balinese chief and his followers on a visit. Those of higher rank sat on chairs,
the others squatted on the floor. The chief very coolly asked for beer and brandy, and helped
himself and his followers, apparently more out of curiosity than anything else as regards the
beer, for it seemed very distasteful to them, while they drank the brandy in tumblers with
much relish.
Returning to Ampanam, I devoted myself for some days to shooting the birds of the
neighbourhood. The fine fig-trees of the avenues, where a market was held, were tenanted
by superb orioles (Oriolus broderpii) of a rich orange colour, and peculiar to this island and
the adjacent ones of Sumbawa and Flores. All round the town were abundance of the curi-
ous Tropidorhynchus timoriensis, allied to the Friar bird of Australia. They are here called
'Quaich-quaich,' from their strange loud voice, which seems to repeat these words in vari-
ous and not unmelodious intonations.
Every day boys were to be seen walking along the roads and by the hedges and ditches,
catching dragon-flies with birdlime. They carry a slender stick, with a few twigs at the end
well anointed, so that the least touch captures the insect, whose wings are pulled off before
it is consigned to a small basket. The dragon-flies are so abundant at the time of the rice
flowering that thousands are soon caught in this way. The bodies are fried in oil with onions
and preserved shrimps, or sometimes alone, and are considered a great delicacy. In Borneo,
Celebes, and many other islands, the larvæ of bees and wasps are eaten, either alive as
pulled out of the cells, or fried like the dragon-flies. In the Moluccas the grubs of the palm-
beetles (Calandra) are regularly brought to market in bamboos, and sold for food; and many
