The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

;X.] BALI AXD LOilBOCK. 119the avenues, where a market was held, were tenanted by superborioles (Oriolus broderjiii) of a rich orange colour, and peculiarto this island and the adjacent ones of Sumbawa and Flores.All round the town Avere abundance of the curious Tropidorhynchustimoriensis, allied to the Friar bird of Australia.They are here called " Quaich-quaich," from their strange loudvoice, which seems to repeat these words in various and notunmelodious intonations.Every day boys were to be seen walking along the roads andby the hedges and ditches, catching dragon flies with bird-lime.They carry a slender stick, with a few twigs at the end wellanointed, so that the least touch captures the insect, whosewings ai'e pulled off before it is consigned to a small basket.The dragon-flies are so abundant at the time of the rice-floweringthat thousands are soon caught in this way. The bodies arefried in oil with onions and preserved shrimps, or sometimesalone and are considered a great delicacy. In Borneo, Celebes,and many other islands, the larvse of bees and wasps are eaten,either alive as pulled out of the cells, or fried like the dragonflies.In the Moluccas the grubs of the palm-beetle (Calandra)are regularly brought to market in bamboos, and sold for food ;and many of the great horned Lamellicorn beetles are slightlyroasted on the embers and eaten whenever met with. Thesupei-abundance of insect life is therefore turned to some accountby these islanders.Finding that birds were not very numerous, and hearing muchof Labuan Tring at the southern extremity of the bay, wherethere was said to be much uncultivated country and plenty ofbirds as well as deer and wild pigs, I determined to go there withmy two servants, Ali, the Malay lad from Borneo, and ]\[anuel, aPortuguese of Malacca accustomed to bird-skinning. I hired anative boat with outriggers, to take us with our small quantityof luggage, and a day's rowing and tracking along the shorebrought us to the place.I had a note of introduction to an Amboynese Malay, andobtained the use of part of his house to live and work in. Hisname was " Inchi Daud" (Mr. David), and he was very civilbut his accommodations were limited, and he could only give mepart of his i-eception-room. This was the front part of a bamboohouse (reached by a ladder of about six rounds very wide apart),and having a beautiful view over the bay. However, I soonmade what arrangements were possible and then set to work.The country around was pretty and novel to me, consisting ofabrupt volcanic hills enclosing flat valleys or open plains. Thehills were covered with a dense scrubby bush of bamboos andprickly trees and shrubs, the plains were adorned with hundredsof noble palm-trees, and in many places with a luxuriant shrubbyvegetation. Birds were plentiful and very interesting, and Inow saw for the first time many Australian forms that are quiteabsent from the islands westward. Small white cockatoos were