When This Bird Is Seen
Feeding On The Ground, It Appears Wonderful How It Can Rise Into
The Air With Such A Long And Cumbersome Train Of Feathers.
It
does so however with great ease, by running quickly for a short
distance, and then rising obliquely; and will fly over trees of a
considerable height.
I also obtained here a specimen of the rare
green jungle-fowl (Gallus furcatus), whose back and neck are
beautifully scaled with bronzy feathers, and whose smooth-edged
oval comb is of a violet purple colour, changing to green at the
base. It is also remarkable in possessing a single large wattle
beneath its throat, brightly coloured in three patches of red,
yellow, and blue. The common jungle-cock (Gallus bankiva) was
also obtained here. It is almost exactly like a common game-cock,
but the voice is different, being much shorter and more abrupt;
hence its native name is Bekeko. Six different kinds of
woodpeckers and four kingfishers were found here, the fine
hornbill, Buceros lunatus, more than four feet long, and the
pretty little lorikeet, Loriculus pusillus, scarcely more than as
many inches.
One morning, as I was preparing and arranging specimens, I was
told there was to be a trial; and presently four or five men came
in and squatted down on a mat under the audience-shed in the
court. The chief then came in with his clerk, and sat down
opposite them. Each spoke in turn, telling his own tale, and then
I found that those who first entered were the prisoner, accuser,
policemen, and witness, and that the prisoner was indicated
solely by having a loose piece of cord twilled around his wrists,
but not tied. It was a case of robbery, and after the evidence
was given, and a few questions had been asked by the chief, the
accused said a few words, and then sentence was pronounced, which
was a fine. The parties then got up and walked away together,
seeming quite friendly; and throughout there was nothing in the
manner of any one present indicating passion or ill-feeling - a
very good illustration of the Malayan type of character.
In a month's collecting at Wonosaleni and Djapannan I accumulated
ninety-eight species of birds, but a most miserable lot of
insects. I then determined to leave East Java and try the more
moist and luxuriant districts at the western extremity of the
island. I returned to Sourabaya by water, in a roomy boat which
brought myself, servants, and baggage at one-fifth the expense it
had cost me to come to Modjo-kerto. The river has been rendered
navigable by being carefully banked up, but with the usual effect
of rendering the adjacent country liable occasionally to severe
floods. An immense traffic passes down this river; and at a lock
we passed through, a mile of laden boats were waiting two or
three deep, which pass through in their turn six at a time.
A few days afterwards I went by steamer to Batavia, where I
stayed about a week at the chief hotel, while I made arrangements
for a trip into the interior.
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