cawing in these plantations; the curious wood-swallows
(Artami), which closely resemble swallows in their habits
and flight hut differ much in form and structure, twitter
from the tree-tops ; while a lyre-tailed drongo-shrike, with
brilliant black plumage and milk-white eyes, continually
deceives the naturalist by the variety of its unmelodious
notes.
In the more shady parts butterflies were tolerably
abundant; the most common being species of Euplsea and
Danais, which frequent gardens and shrubberies, and
owing to their weak flight are easily captured. A beautiful
pale blue and black butterfly, which flutters along near
the ground among the thickets, and settles occasionally
upon flowers, was one of the most striking; and scarcely
less so, was one with a rich orange band on a blackish
ground: these both belong to the Pieridse, the group that
contains our common white butterflies, although differing
so much from them in appearance. Both were quite new
to European naturalists.1 Now and then I extended my
walks some miles further, to the only patch of true forest
I could find, accompanied by my two boys with guns and
insect-net. We used to start early, taking our breakfast
with us, and eating it wherever we could find shade and
water. A t such times my Macassar boys would put a
minute fragment of rice and meat or fish on a leaf, and lay
1 The former has heen named Evonia tritsea ; the latter Tachyris ithome.
it on a stone or stump as an offering to the deity of the
spot; for though nominal Mahometans the Macassar people
retain many pagan superstitions, and are but lax in their
religious observances. Pork, it is true, they hold in
abhorrence, but will not refuse wine when offered them,
and consume immense quantities of “ sagueir,” or palm-
wine, which is about as intoxicating as ordinary beer or
cider. When well made it is a very refreshing drink, and
we often took a draught at some of the little sheds dignified
by the name of bazaars, which are scattered about
the country wherever there is any traffic.
One day Mr. Mesman told me of a larger piece of forest
where he sometimes went to shoot deer, but he assured me
it was much further off, and that there were no birds.
However, I resolved to explore it, and the next morning
at five o’clock we started, carrying our breakfast and some
other provisions with us, and intending to stay the night
at a house on the borders of the wood. To my surprise
two hours’ hard walking brought us to this house, where we
obtained permission to pass the night. We then walked
on, Ali and Baderoon with a gun each, Baso carrying our
provisions and my insect-box, while I took only my net
and collecting-bottle and determined to devote myself
wholly to the insects. Scarcely had I entered the forest
when I found some beautiful little green and goid speckled
weevils allied to the genus Pachyrhynchus, a group which
z 2