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the malay archipelago-2-第52章

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 The inhabitants seemed rather uglier than those at Dorey village。 They are; no doubt; the true indigenes of this part of New Guinea; living in the interior; and subsisting by cultivation and hunting。 The Dorey men; on the other hand; are shore…dwellers; fishers and traders in a small way; and have thus the character of a colony who have migrated from another district。 These hillmen or 〃Arfaks 〃differed much in physical features。 They were generally black; but some were brown like Malays。 Their hair; though always more or less frizzly; was sometimes short and matted; instead of being long; loose; and woolly; and this seemed to be a constitutional difference; not the effect of care and cultivation。 Nearly half of them were afflicted with the scurfy skin…disease。 The old chief seemed much pleased with his present; and promised (through an interpreter I brought with me) to protect my men when they came there shooting; and also to procure me some birds and animals。 While conversing; they smoked tobacco of their own growing; in pipes cut from a single piece of wood with a long upright handle。

We had arrived at Dorey about the end of the wet season; when the whole country was soaked with moisture The native paths were so neglected as to be often mere tunnels closed over with vegetation; and in such places there was always a fearful accumulation of mud。 To the naked Papuan this is no obstruction。 He wades through it; and the next watercourse makes him clean again; but to myself; wearing boots and trousers; it was a most disagreeable thing to have to go up to my knees in a mud…hole every morning。 The man I brought with me to cut wood fell ill soon after we arrived; or I would have set him to clear fresh paths in the worst places。 For the first ten days it generally rained every afternoon and all night r but by going out every hour of fine weather; I managed to get on tolerably with my collections of birds and insects; finding most of those collected by Lesson during his visit in the Coquille; as well as many new ones。 It appears; however; that Dorey is not the place for Birds of Paradise; none of the natives being accustomed to preserve them。 Those sold here are all brought from Amberbaki; about a hundred miles west; where the Doreyans go to trade。

The islands in the bay; with the low lands near the coast; seem to have been formed by recently raised coral reef's; and are much strewn with masses of coral but little altered。 The ridge behind my house; which runs out to the point; is also entirely coral rock; although there are signs of a stratified foundation in the ravines; and the rock itself is more compact and crystalline。 It is therefore; probably older; a more recent elevation having exposed the low grounds and islands。 On the other side of the bay rise the great mass of the Arfak mountains; said by the French navigators to be about ten thousand feet high; and inhabited by savage tribes。 These are held in great dread by the Dorey people; who have often been attacked and plundered by them; and have some of their skulls hanging outside their houses。 If I was seem going into the forest anywhere in the direction of the mountains; the little boys of the village would shout after me; 〃Arfaki! Arfaki?〃 just as they did after Lesson nearly forty years before。

On the 15th of May the Dutch war…steamer Etna arrived; but; as the coals had gone; it was obliged to stay till they came back。 The captain knew when the coalship was to arrive; and how long it was chartered to stay at Dorey; and could have been back in time; but supposed it would wait for him; and so did not hurry himself。 The steamer lay at anchor just opposite my house; and I had the advantage of hearing the half…hourly bells struck; which was very pleasant after the monotonous silence of the forest。 The captain; doctor; engineer; and some other of the officers paid me visits; the servants came to the brook to wash clothes; and the son of the Prince of Tidore; with one or two companions; to bathe; otherwise I saw little of them; and was not disturbed by visitors so much as I had expected to be。 About this time the weather set in pretty fine; but neither birds nor insects became much more abundant; and new birds …were very scarce。 None of the Birds of Paradise except the common one were ever met with; and we were still searching in vain for several of the fine birds which Lesson had obtained here。 Insects were tolerably abundant; but were not on the average so fine as those of Amboyna; and I reluctantly came to the conclusion that Dorey was not a good collecting locality。 Butterflies were very scarce; arid were mostly the same as those which I had obtained at Aru。

Among the insects of other orders; the most curious and novel were a group of horned flies; of which I obtained four distinct species; settling on fallen trees and decaying trunks。 These remarkable insects; which have been described by Mr。 W。 W。 Saunders as a new genus; under the name of Elaphomia or deer… flies; are about half an inch long; slender…bodied; and with very long legs; which they draw together so as to elevate their bodies high above the surface they are standing upon。 The front pair of legs are much shorter; and these are often stretched directly forwards; so as to resemble antenna。 The horns spring from beneath the eye; and seem to be a prolongation of the lower part of the orbit。 In the largest and most singular species; named Elaphomia cervicornis or the stag…horned deer…fly; these horns are nearly as long as the body; having two branches; with two small snags near their bifurcation; so as to resemble the horns of a stag。 They are black; with the tips pale; while the body and legs are yellowish brown; and the eyes (when alive) violet and green。 The next species (Elaphomia wallacei) is of a dark brown colour; banded and spotted with yellow。 The horns are about one… third the length of the insect; broad; flat; and of an elongated triangular foam。 They are of a beautiful pink colour; edged with black; and with a pale central stripe。 The front part of the head is also pink; and the eyes violet pink; with a green stripe across them; giving the insect a very elegant and singular appearance。 The third species (Elaphomia alcicornis; the elk… horned deer…fly) is a little smaller than the two already described; but resembling in colour Elaphomia wallacei。 The horns are very remarkable; being suddenly dilated into a flat plate; strongly toothed round the outer margin; and strikingly resembling the horns of the elk; after which it has been named。 They are of a yellowish colour; margined with brown; and tipped with black on the three upper teeth。 The fourth species (Elaphomia brevicornis; the short…horned deer…fly) differs considerably from the rest。 It is stouter in form; of a nearly black colour; with a yellow ring at the base of the abdomen; the wings have dusky stripes; and the head is compressed and dilated laterally; with very small flat horns; which are black with a pale centre; and look exactly like the rudiment of the horns of the two preceding species。 None of the females have any trace of the horns; ane Mr。 Saunders places in the same genus a species which has no horns in either sex (Elaphomia polita)。 It is of a shining black colour; and resembles Elaphomia cervicornis in form; size; and general appearance。 The figures above given represent these insects of their natural size and in characteristic attitudes。

The natives seldom brought me anything。 They are poor creatures; and; rarely shoot a bird; pig; or kangaroo; or even the sluggish opossum…like Cuscus。 The tree…kangaroos are found here; but must be very scarce; as my hunters; although out daily in the forest; never once saw them。 Cockatoos; lories; and parroquets were really the only common birds。 Even pigeons were scarce; and in little variety; although we occasionally got the fine crown pigeon; which was always welcome as an addition to our scantily furnished larder。

Just before the steamer arrived I had wounded my ankle by clambering among the trunks and branches of fallen trees (which formed my best hunting grounds for insects); and; as usual with foot wounds in this climate; it turned into an obstinate ulcer; keeping me in the house for s
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