This Bird
Derives Its Name From Its Large Bill Being Coloured Of A
Brilliant Yellow, Red, And Black, In About Equal Proportions.
The
tail is exceedingly long, and of a fine metallic purple, while
the plumage of the body is light coffee brown.
It is one of the
characteristic birds of the island of Celebes, to which it is
confined.
After sauntering along for a couple of hours we reached a small
river, so deep that horses could only cross it by swimming, so we
had to turn back; but as we were getting hungry, and the water of
the almost stagnant river was too muddy to drink, we went towards
a house a few hundred yards off. In the plantation we saw a small
raised hut, which we thought would do well for us to breakfast
in, so I entered, and found inside a young woman with an infant.
She handed me a jug of water, but looked very much frightened.
However, I sat down on the doorstep, and asked for the
provisions. In handing them up, Baderoon saw the infant, and
started back as if he had seen a serpent. It then immediately
struck me that this was a hut in which, as among the Dyaks of
Borneo and many other savage tribes, the women are secluded for
some time after the birth of their child, and that we did very
wrong to enter it; so we walked off and asked permission to eat
our breakfast in the family mansion close at hand, which was of
course granted. While I ate, three men, two women, and four
children watched every motion, and never took eyes off me until I
had finished.
On our way back in the heat of the day, I had the good fortune to
capture three specimens of a fine Ornithoptera, the largest, the
most perfect, and the most beautiful of butterflies. I trembled
with excitement as I took the first out of my net and found it to
be in perfect condition. The ground colour of this superb insect
was a rich shining bronzy black, the lower wings delicately
grained with white, and bordered by a row of large spots of the
most brilliant satiny yellow. The body was marked with shaded
spots of white, yellow, and fiery orange, while the head and
thorax were intense black. On the under-side the lower wings were
satiny white, with the marginal spots half black and half yellow.
I gazed upon my prize with extreme interest, as I at first
thought it was quite a new species. It proved however to be a
variety of Ornithoptera remus, one of the rarest and most
remarkable species of this highly esteemed group. I also obtained
several other new and pretty butterflies. When we arrived at our
lodging-house, being particularly anxious about my insect
treasures, I suspended the box from a bamboo on which I could
detect no sign of ants, and then began skinning some of my birds.
During my work I often glanced at my precious box to see that no
intruders had arrived, until after a longer spell of work than
usual I looked again, and saw to my horror that a column of small
red ants were descending the string and entering the box. They
were already busy at work at the bodies of my treasures, and
another half-hour would have seen my whole day's collection
destroyed. As it was, I had to take every insect out, clean them
thoroughly as well as the box, and then seek a place of
safety for them. As the only effectual one, I begged a plate and a
basin from my host, filled the former with water, and standing
the latter in it placed my box on the top, and then felt secure
for the night; a few inches of clean water or oil being the only
barrier these terrible pests are not able to pass.
On returning home to Mamajam (as my house was called) I had a
slight return of intermittent fever, which kept me some days
indoors. As soon as I was well, I again went to Goa, accompanied
by Mr. Mesman, to beg the Rajah's assistance in getting a small
house built for me near the forest. We found him at a cock-fight
in a shed near his palace, which however, he immediately left to
receive us, and walked with us up an inclined plane of boards
which serves for stairs to his house. This was large, well-built,
and lofty, with bamboo floor and glass windows. The greater part
of it seemed to be one large hall divided by the supporting
posts. Near a window sat the Queen, squatting on a rough wooden
arm-chair, chewing the everlasting sirih and betel-nut, while a
brass spittoon by her side and a sirih-box in front were ready to
administer to her wants. The Rajah seated himself opposite to her
in a similar chair, and a similar spittoon and sirih-box were
held by a little boy squatting at his side. Two other chairs were
brought for us. Several young women, some the Rajah's daughters,
others slaves, were standing about; a few were working at frames
making sarongs, but most of them were idle.
And here I might (if I followed the example of most travellers)
launch out into a glowing description of the charms of these
damsels, the elegant costumes they wore, and the gold and silver
ornaments with which they were adorned. The jacket or body of
purple gauze would figure well in such a description, allowing
the heaving bosom to be seen beneath it, while "sparkling eyes,"
and "jetty tresses," and "tiny feet" might be thrown in
profusely. But, alas! regard for truth will not permit me to
expatiate too admiringly on such topics, determined as I am to
give as far as I can a true picture of the people and places I
visit. The princesses were, it is true, sufficiently good-
looking, yet neither their persons nor their garments had that
appearance of freshness and cleanliness without which no other
charms can be contemplated with pleasure.
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