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

248 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [cHAr.recently changed into a movement of subsidence. Tlie hill wasvery rugged, but among dry sticks and fallen trees I found somegood insects, mostly of forms and species I was already acquaintedwith from Ternate and Gilolo. Finding no good pathsI returned, and explored the lower ground eastward of thevillage, passing through a long range of plantain and tobaccogrounds, encumbered with felled and burnt logs, on which Ifound quantities of beetles of the family Buprestidse of sixdifferent species, one of which was new to me. I then reacheda path in the swampy forest where I hoped to find some butterflies,but was disappointed. Being now pretty well exhaustedby the intense heat, I thought it wise to return and reservefurther exploration for the next day.When I sat down in the afternoon to arrange my insects, thehouse was surrounded by men, women, and children, lost inamazement at my unaccountable proceedings ; and when, afterpinning out the specimens, I proceeded to write the name ofthe place on small circular tickets, and attach one to each, eventhe old Kapala, the Mahometan priest, and some Malay traderscould not repress signs of astonishment. If they had known alittle more about the ways and opinions of white men, theywould probably have looked upon me as a fool or a madman,but in their ignorance they accepted my operations as worthyof all respect, although utterly beyond their comprehension.The next day (October 16th) I went beyond the swamp, andfound a place where a new clearing was being made in thevirgin forest. It was a long and hot walk, and the searchamong the fallen trunks and branches was very fatiguing, but Iwas rewarded by obtaining about seventy distinct species ofbeetles, of which at least a dozen wdre new to me, and manyothers rare and interesting. I have never in my life seenbeetles so abundant as they were on this spot. Some dozenspecies of good-sized golden Buprestidse, green rose-chafers(Lomaptera), and long-horned weevils (Anthribidse), were soabundant that they rose up in swai'ms as I walked along, fillingthe air with a loud buzzing hum. Along with these, several fineLongicorns were almost equally common, forming such an assemblageas for once to realize that idea of tropical luxuriancewhich one obtains by looking overji the drawers of a well -filledcabinet. On the under sides of the trunks clung numbers ofsmaller or more sluggish Longicorns, while on the branches atthe edge of the clearing others could be detected sitting withoutstretched antenme ready to take flight at the least alarm.It was a glorious spot, and one which will always live in mymemory as exhibiting the insect-life of the tropics in unexampledluxuriance. For the tlu'ee following days I continuedto visit this locality, adding each time many new species to mycollection—the following notes of which may be interesting toentomologists. October 15th, 33 species of beetles ; 16th, 70species ; 17th, 47 species ; 18th, 40 species ; 19th, 56 species—in