The Path
By Which I Had Arrived Continued Along One Side Of This Clearing,
And Then Again Entering The Virgin Forest Passed Over Hill And
Dale To The Northern Aide Of The Island.
My abode was merely a little thatched hut, consisting of an open
verandah in front and a small dark sleeping room behind.
It was
raised about five feet from the ground, and was reached by rude
steps to the centre of the verandah. The walls and floor were of
bamboo, and it contained a table, two bamboo chairs, and a couch.
Here I soon made myself comfortable, and set to work hunting for
insects among the more recently felled timber, which swarmed with
fine Curculionidae, Longicorns, and Buprestidae, most of them
remarkable for their elegant forms or brilliant colours, and
almost all entirely new to me. Only the entomologist can
appreciate the delight with which I hunted about for hours in the
hot sunshine, among the branches and twigs and bark of the fallen
trees, every few minutes securing insects which were at that time
almost all rare or new to European collections.
In the shady forest paths were many fine butterflies, most
conspicuous among which was the shining blue Papilio Ulysses, one
of the princes of the tribe, though at that time so rare in
Europe, I found it absolutely common in Amboyna, though not easy
to obtain in fine condition, a large number of the specimens
being found when captured to have the wings torn or broken.
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