Black Tories And Cockatoos Were Quite Unknown.
The Alfuros Resided In The Mountains Five Or Six Days' Journey
Away, And There Were Only One Or Two Live Birds To Be Found In
The Village, And These Were Worthless.
My hunters could get
nothing but a few common birds; and notwithstanding fine
mountains, luxuriant forests, and a locality a hundred miles
eastward, I could find no new insects, and extremely few even of
the common species of Amboyna and West Ceram.
It was evidently no
use stopping at such a place, and I was determined to move on as
soon as possible.
The village of Teluti is populous, but straggling and very dirty.
Sago trees here cover the mountain side, instead of growing as
usual in low swamps; but a closer examination shows that they
grow in swampy patches, which have formed among the loose rocks
that cover the ground, and which are kept constantly full of
moisture by the rains, and by the abundance of rills which
trickle down among them. This sago forms almost the whole
subsistence of the inhabitants, who appear to cultivate nothing
but a few small patches of maize and sweet potatoes. Hence, as
before explained, the scarcity of insects. The Orang-kaya has
fine clothes, handsome lamps, and other expensive European goods,
yet lives every day on sago and fish as miserably as the rest.
After three days in this barren place I left on the morning of
March 6th, in two boats of the same size as those which had
brought me to Teluti.
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