Buprestida?, green rose-chafers (Lomaptera), and long-horned
weevils (AnthriMdse), were so abundant that they rose up
in swarms as I walked along, filling the air with a loud
buzzing hum. Along with these, several fine Longicorns
were almost equally common, forming such an assemblage
as for once to realize that idea of tropical luxuriance which
one obtains by looking over the drawers of a well-filled
cabinet. On the under sides of the trunks clung numbers
of smaller or more sluggish Longicorns, while on the
branches at the edge of the clearing others could be
detected sitting with outstretched antennae ready to take
flight at the least alarm. It was a glorious spot, and one
which will always live in my memory as exhibiting the
insect-life of the tropics in unexampled luxuriance. For
the three following days I continued to visit this locality,
adding each time many new species to my collection—the
following notes of which may be interesting to entomologists.
October 15th, 33 species of beetles; 16th, 70
species; 17th, 47 species; 18th, 40 species; 19th, 56
species—in all about a hundred species, of which forty
were new to me. There were forty-four species of Longicorns
among them, and on the last day I took twenty-
eight species of Longicorns, of which five were new to me.
My boys were less fortunate in shooting. The only
birds at all common were the great red parrot (Eclectus
grandis), found in most of the Moluccas, a crow, and a
Megapodius, or mound-maker. A few of the pretty
racquet-tailed kingfishers were also obtained, but in very
poor plumage. They proved, however, to be of a different
species from those found in the other islands, and come
nearest to the bird originally described by Linnaeus
under the name of Alcedo dea, and which came from
Ternate. This would indicate that the small chain of
islands parallel to G-ilolo have a few peculiar species in
common, a fact which certainly occurs in insects.
The people of Kaioa interested me much. They are
evidently a mixed race, having Malay and Papuan affinities,
and are allied to the peoples of Ternate and of Gilolo.
They possess a peculiar language, somewhat resembling
those of the surrounding islands, but quite distinct. They
are now Mahometans, and are subject to Ternate. The
only fruits seen here were papaws and pine-apples, the
rocky soil and dry climate being unfavourable. Bice, maize,
and plantains flourish well, except that they suffer from
occasional dry seasons like the present one. There is a
little cotton grown, from which the women weave sarongs
(Malay petticoats). There is only one well of good water
on the islands, situated close to the landing-place, to
which all the inhabitants come for drinking water. The
men are good boat-builders, and they make a regular trade
of it and seem to be very well off.
After five days at Kaida we continued our journey, and