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

230 THE ilALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chai-.stayed about ten days with my kind friend Dr. Mohnike. Consideringthat I Imd been away only twenty days, and that onfive or six of those I was prevented doing anything by wetweather and slight attacks of fever, I had made a very nicecollection of insects, comprising a much larger proportion oflarge and brilliant species than I had ever before obtained inso short a time. Of the beautiful metallic Buprestidas I hadabout a dozen handsome species, yet in the doctor's collection Iobserved four or five more very fine ones, so that Amboyna isunusually rich in this elegant group.During my stay here I had a good opportunity of seeing howEuropeans live in the Dutch colonies, where they have adoptedcustoms far more in accordance with the climate than we havedone in our tropical possessions. Almost all business is transactedin the morning between the hours of seven and twelve,the afternoon being given up to repose, and the evening to^•isitiug. "When in the house during the heat of the day, andeven at dinner, they use a loose cotton dress, only putting on asuit of thin European -made clothes for out of doors and eveningwear. They often walk about after sunset bareheaded, reservingthe black hat for visits of ceremony. Life is thus made farmore agreeable, and the fatigue and discomfort incident to theclimate greatly diminished. Christmas day is not made muchof, but on Xew Year's day ofiicial and complimentary -s-isits arepaid, and about sunset we went to the Governor's, where alarge pai'ty of ladies and gentlemen were assembled. Tea andcoffee were handed round, as is almost universal during a visit,as well as cigars, for on no occasion is smoking prohibited inDutch colonies, cigars being generallj'' lighted before the clothis withdrawn at dinner, even though half the company areladies. I here saw for the first time the rare black lory fromNew Guinea, Chalcopsitta atra. The plumage is rather glossy,and slightly tinged with yellowish and purple, the bill and feetbeing entirely black.The native Amboynese who reside in the city are a sti'ange,half-civilized, half-savage, lazy jDeople, who seem to be a mixtureof at least three races, Portuguese, Malay, and Papuan orCeramese, with an occasional cross of Chinese or Dutch. ThePortuguese element decidedly j^redominates in the old Christianpopulation, as indicated by features, liabits, and the retentionof many Portuguese woixls in the Malay, which is now theirlanguage. They have a peculiar .style of dress which they wearamong themselves, a close-fitting white shirt with black trousers,and a black frock or upper shirt. The women seem to prefer adress entirely black. On festivals and holy days every manwears the swallow-tail coat, chimney-pot hat, and their accompaniments,displaying all the absurdity of our Europeanfashionable dress. Though now Protestants, they preserve atfeasts and weddings the processions and music of the CatholicChurch, curiously mixed up with the gongs and dances of the