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the malay archipelago-1-第54部分
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etermined me to move。 I accordingly fixed on a place about a mile off; at the foot of a forest…covered hill; where in a few days Mr。 M。 built for me a nice little house; consisting of a good…sized enclosed verandah or open room; and a small inner sleeping…room; with a little cookhouse outside。 As soon as it was finished I moved into it; and found the change most agreeable。
The forest which surrounded me was open and free from underwood; consisting of large trees; widely scattered with a great quantity of palm…trees (Arenga saccharifera); from which palm wine and sugar are made。 There were also great numbers of a wild Jack… fruit tree (Artocarpus); which bore abundance of large reticulated fruit; serving as an excellent vegetable。 The ground was as thickly covered with dry leaves as it is in an English wood in November; the little rocky streams were all dry; and scarcely a drop of water or even a damp place was anywhere to be seen。 About fifty yards below my house; at the foot of the hill; was a deep hole in a watercourse where good water was to be had; and where I went daily to bathe by having buckets of water taken out and pouring it over my body。
My host Mr。 M。 enjoyed a thoroughly country life; depending almost entirely on his gun and dogs to supply his table。 Wild pigs of large size were very plentiful and he generally got one or two a week; besides deer occasionally; and abundance of jungle…fowl; hornbills; and great fruit pigeons。 His buffaloes supplied plenty of milk from which he made his own butter; he grew his own rice and coffee; and had ducks; fowls; and their eggs; in profusion。 His palm…trees supplied him all the year round with 〃sagueir;〃 which takes the place of beer; and the sugar made from them is an excellent sweetmeat。 All the fine tropical vegetables and fruits were abundant in their season; and his cigars were made from tobacco of his own raising。 He kindly sent me a bamboo of buffalo…milk every morning; it was as thick as cream; and required diluting with water to keep it fluid during the day。 It mixes very well with tea and coffee; although it has a slight peculiar flavour; which after a time is not disagreeable。 I also got as much sweet 〃sagueir 〃as I liked to drink; and Mr。 M。 always sent me a piece of each pig he killed; which with fowls; eggs; and the birds we shot ourselves; and buffalo beef about once a fortnight; kept my larder sufficiently well supplied。
Every bit of flatland was cleared and used as rice…fields; and on the lower slopes of many of the hills tobacco and vegetables were grown。 Most of the slopes are covered with huge blocks of rock; very fatiguing to scramble over; while a number of the hills are so precipitous as to be quite inaccessible。 These circumstances; combined with the excessive drought; were very unfavourable for lily pursuits。 Birds were scarce; and I got but few new to me。 Insects were tolerably plentiful; but unequal。 Beetles; usually so numerous and interesting; were exceedingly scarce; some of the families being quite absent and others only represented by very minute species。 The Flies and Bees; on the other hand; were abundant; and of these I daily obtained new and interesting species。 The rare and beautiful Butterflies of Celebes were the chief object of my search; and I found many species altogether new to me; but they were generally so active and shy as to render their capture a matter of great difficulty。 Almost the only good place for them was in the dry beds of the streams in the forest; where; at damp places; muddy pools; or even on the dry rocks; all sorts of insects could be found。 In these rocky forests dwell some of the finest butterflies in the world。 Three species of Ornithoptera; measuring seven or eight inches across the wings; and beautifully marked with spots or masses of satiny yellow on a black ground; wheel through the thickets with a strong sailing flight。 About the damp places are swarms of the beautiful blue…banded Papilios; miletus and telephus; the superb golden green P。 macedon; and the rare little swallow…tail Papilio rhesus; of all of which; though very active; I succeeded in capturing fine series of specimens。
I have rarely enjoyed myself more than during my residence here。 As I sat taking my coffee at six in the morning; rare birds would often be seen on some tree close by; when I would hastily sally out in my slippers; and perhaps secure a prize I had been seeking after for weeks。 The great hornbills of Celebes (Buceros cassidix) would often come with loud…flapping wings; and perch upon a lofty tree just in front of me; and the black baboon… monkeys; Cynopithecus nigrescens; often stared down in astonishment at such an intrusion into their domains while at night herds of wild pigs roamed about the house; devouring refuse; and obliging us to put away everything eatable or breakable from our little cooking…house。 A few minutes' search on the fallen trees around my house at sunrise and sunset; would often produce me more beetles than I would meet with in a day's collecting; and odd moments could be made valuable which when living in villages or at a distance from the forest are inevitably wasted。 Where the sugar…palms were dripping with sap; flies congregated in immense numbers; and it was by spending half an hour at these when I had the time to spare; that I obtained the finest and most remarkable collection of this group of insects that I have ever made。
Then what delightful hours I passed wandering up and down the dry river…courses; full of water…holes and rocks and fallen trees; and overshadowed by magnificent vegetation。 I soon got to know every hole and rock and stump; and came up to each with cautious step and bated breath to see what treasures it would produce。 At one place I would find a little crowd of the rare butterfly Tachyris zarinda; which would rise up at my approach; and display their vivid orange and cinnabar…red wings; while among them would flutter a few of the fine blue…banded Papilios。 Where leafy branches hung over the gully; I might expect to find a grand Ornithoptera at rest and an easy prey。 At certain rotten trunks I was sure to get the curious little tiger beetle; Therates flavilabris。 In the denser thickets I would capture the small metal…blue butterflies (Amblypodia) sitting on the leaves; as well as some rare and beautiful leaf…beetles of the families Hispidae and Chrysomelidae。
I found that the rotten jack…fruits were very attractive to many beetles; and used to split them partly open and lay them about in the forest near my house to rot。 A morning's search at these often produced me a score of speciesStaphylinidae; Nitidulidae; Onthophagi; and minute Carabidae; being the most abundant。 Now and then the 〃sagueir〃 makers brought me a fine rosechafer (Sternoplus schaumii) which they found licking up the sweet sap。 Almost the only new birds I met with for some time were a handsome ground thrush (Pitta celebensis); and a beautiful violet…crowned dove (Ptilonopus celebensis); both very similar to birds I had recently obtained at Aru; but of distinct species。
About the latter part of September a heavy shower of rain fell; admonishing us that we might soon expect wet weather; much to the advantage of the baked…up country。 I therefore determined to pay a visit to the falls of the Maros river; situated at the point where it issues from the mountainsa spot often visited by travellers and considered very beautiful。 Mr。 M。 lent me a horse; and I obtained a guide from a neighbouring village; and taking one of my men with me; we started at six in the morning; and after a ride of two hours over the flat rice…fields skirting the mountains which rose in grand precipices on our left; we readied the river about half…way between Maros and the falls; and thence had a good bridle…road to our destination; which we reached。 in another hour。 The hills had closed in around us as we advanced; and when we reached a ruinous shed which had been erected for the accommodation of visitors; we found ourselves in a flat…bottomed valley about a quarter of a mile wide; bounded by precipitous and often overhanging limestone rocks。 So far the ground had been cultivated; but it now became covered with bushes and large scattered trees。
As soon as my scanty baggage had arrived and was duly deposited in the shed; I started off alone for the fall; which was about a quarter of a mile further on。 The river is here about twenty yards wide; and issues from a chasm between two vertical walls of limestone; over a rounded mass of basaltic rock about forty feet high; forming two curves separated by a slight ledge。 The water spreads beautifully over this surface in a thin sheet of foam; which curls and eddies in a succession of concentric cones until it falls into a fine deep pool below。 Close to the very edge of the fall a narrow and very rugged path leads to the river above; and thence continues close under the precipice along the water's edge; or sometimes in the water; for a few hundred yards; after which the rocks recede a little; and leave a wooded bank on one side; along which the path is continued; until in about half a mile; a second and smaller fall is reached。 Here the river seems to issue from a cavern; the rocks having fallen from abo
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