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

410 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [ch. xxxvii.species, were yet very interesting. I got another specimen of tlierare New Guinea kite (Henicopernis longicauda), a large newgoatsucker (Podargus superciliaris), and a most curious groundpigeonof an entirely new genus, and remarkable for its longand powerful bill. It has been named HenicoiDhaps albifrons.I was also much pleased to obtain a tine series of a large fruitpigeonwith a protuberance on the bill (Carpophaga tumida),and to ascertain that this was not, as had been hitherto supposed,a sexual character, but Avas found equally in male andfemale birds. I collected only seventy-tliree species of birds inWaigiou, but twelve of them wei'e entirely new, and manyothers very rare ;and as I brought away with me twenty-fourfine specimens of the Paradisea rubra, I did not I'egret my visitto the island, although it had by no means answered myexpectations.CHAPTER XXXVII.VOYAGE FKOM WAIGIOU TO TERNATE.(SEPTEMBER 29 TO NOVEMBER 5 1860.)I HAD left the old pilot at Waigiou to take care of my liouseand to get tlie prau into sailing order— to caulk her bottom, andto look after the upjDer works, thatch, and rigging. When Ireturned I found it nearly ready, and immediately beganpacking up and preparing for the voyage. Our mainsail hadformed one side of our house, but the spanker and jib liad beenput away in the I'oof, and on opening them to see if any repairswere wanted, to our horror we found that some rats liad madethem their nest, and had gnawed through them in twenty places.We had therefore to buy matting and make new sails, and this,delayed us till the 29th of September, when we at length leftWaigiou.It took us four days before we could get clear of the land,haA'ing to jiass along narrow straits beset with reefs and shoals,and full of strong currents, so tliat an unfavourable windstopped us altogether. One day, when nearly clear, a contrarytide and head-wind drove us ten miles back to our anchorage ofthe night before. This delay made us afraid of running shortof water if we should be Ijecalmed at sea, and we thereforedetermined, if possible, to touch at the island wliere our menhad been lost, and which lay dii'ectly in our proi^er course. Thewind was, however, as usual, contrary, being S.S.W. instead ofS.S.E., as it should have been at tliis time of the year, and allwe could do was to reacli the island of Gagie, where we came toan anchor by moonlight under bai-e volcanic hills. In themorning we tried to enter a deep bay, at the head of which