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