It Is Much To Be Regretted That The Dutch Government Does
Not Take Vigorous Steps For The Preservation Of These Ruins From
The Destroying Agency Of Tropical Vegetation; And For The
Collection Of The Fine Sculptures Which Are Everywhere Scattered
Over The Land.
Wonosalem is situated about a thousand feet above the sea, but
unfortunately it is at a distance from the forest, and is
surrounded by coffee plantations, thickets of bamboo, and coarse
grasses.
It was too far to walk back daily to the forest, and in
other directions I could find no collecting ground for insects.
The place was, however, famous for peacocks, and my boy soon shot
several of these magnificent birds, whose flesh we found to be
tender, white, and delicate, and similar to that of a turkey. The
Java peacock is a different species from that of India, the neck
being covered with scale-like green feathers, and the crest of a
different form; but the eyed train is equally large and equally
beautiful. It is a singular fact in geographical distribution
that the peacock should not be found in Sumatra or Borneo, while
the superb Argus, Fire-backed and Ocellated pheasants of those
islands are equally unknown in Java. Exactly parallel is the fact
that in Ceylon and Southern India, where the peacock abounds,
there are none of the splendid Lophophori and other gorgeous
pheasants which inhabit Northern India. It would seem as if the
peacock can admit of no rivals in its domain.
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