I had only shot two male Paradiseas on my tree when
they ceased visiting it, either owing to the fruit becoming
scarce, or that they were wise enough to know there was
danger. We continued to hear and see them in the forest,
but after a month had not succeeded in shooting any more ;
and as my chief object in visiting Waigiou was to get
these birds, I determined to go to Bessir, where there are a
number of Papuans who catcb and preserve them. I hired
a small outrigger boat for this journey, and left one of my
men to guard my house and. goods. We had to wait
several days for fine weather, and at length started early
one morning, and arrived late at night, after a rough and
disagreeable passage. The village of Bessir was built in
the water at the point of a small island. The chief food
of the people, was evidently shell-fish, since great heaps of
the shells had accumulated in the shallow water between
the houses and the land, forming a regular “ kitchen-midden”
for the exploration of some future archaeologist. We
spent the night in the chiefs house, and the next morning
went over to the mainland to look out for a place where I
could reside. This part of Waigiou is really another island
to the south of the narrow channel we had passed through
in coming to Muka. It appears to consist almost entirely
of raised coral, whereas the northern island contains hard
crystalline rocks. The shores were a range of low limestone
cliffs, worn out by the water, so that the upper part
generally overhung. At distant intervals were little coves
and openings, where small streams came down from the
interior; and in one of these we landed, pulling our boat
up on a patch of white sandy beach. Immediately above
was a large newly-made plantation of yams and plantains,
and a small hut, which the chief said we might have the
use of, if it would do for me. It was quite a dwarfs house,
just eight feet square, raised on posts so that the floor was
four and a half feet above the ground, and the highest part
of the ridge only five feet above the floor. As I am six
feet and an inch in my stockings, I looked at this with
some dismay; but finding that the other houses were
much further from water, were dreadfully dirty, and were
crowded with people, I at once accepted the little one, and
determined to make the best of it. At first I thought of
taking out the floor, which would leave it high enough to
walk in and out without stooping; but then there would
not be room enough, so I left it just as it was, had it
thoroughly cleaned out, and brought up my baggage. The
upper story I used for sleeping in, and for a store-room. In
the lower part (which was quite open all round) I fixed up
a small table, arranged my boxes, put up hanging-shelves,
laid a mat on the ground with my wicker-chair upon it,
hung up another mat on the windward side, and then
found that, by bending double and carefully creeping in,
I could sit on my chair with my head just clear of the