Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
they seem incredulous, and, as if fearing they have misunderstood me, again offer them, and
declare what they want in return—knives, or tobacco, or sago, or handkerchiefs. I then have
to endeavour to explain, through any interpreter who may be at hand, that neither tripang
nor pearl oyster shells have any charms for me, and that I even decline to speculate in tor-
toiseshell, but that anything eatable I will buy—fish, or turtle, or vegetables of any sort. Al-
most the only food, however, that we can obtain with any regularity, are fish and cockles of
very good quality, and to supply our daily wants it is absolutely necessary to be always
provided with four articles—tobacco, knives, sago-cakes, and Dutch copper doits—because
when the particular thing asked for is not forthcoming, the fish pass on to the next house,
and we may go that day without a dinner. It is curious to see the baskets and buckets used
here. The cockles are brought in large volute shells, probably the Cymbium ducale, while
gigantic helmet-shells, a species of Cassis, suspended by a rattan handle, form the vessels in
which fresh water is daily carried past my door. It is painful to a naturalist to see these
splendid shells with their inner whorls ruthlessly broken away to fit them for their ignoble
use.
My collections, however, got on but slowly, owing to the unexpectedly bad weather, viol-
ent winds with heavy showers having been so continuous as only to give me four good col-
lecting days out of the first sixteen I spent here. Yet enough had been collected to show me
that with time and fine weather I might expect to do something good. From the natives I ob-
tained some very fine insects and a few pretty land-shells; and of the small number of birds
yet shot more than half were known New Guinea species, and therefore certainly rare in
European collections, while the remainder were probably new. In one respect my hopes
seemed doomed to be disappointed. I had anticipated the pleasure of myself preparing fine
specimens of the Birds of Paradise, but I now learnt that they are all at this season out of
plumage, and that it is in September and October that they have the long plumes of yellow
silky feathers in full perfection. As all the praus return in July, I should not be able to spend
that season in Aru without remaining another whole year, which was out of the question. 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, I 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-
