the malay archipelago-2-第52节

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had　suitable　to　my　purpose；　and　hawing　so　often　experienced　the　advantages　of　living　close　to　or　just　within　the　forest；　I　obtained　the　assistance　of　half…a…dozen　men；　and　having　selected　a　spot　near　the　path　and　the　stream；　and　close　to　a　fine　fig…　tree；　which　stood　just　within　the　forest；　we　cleared　the　ground　and　set　to　building　a　house。　As　I　did　not　expect　to　stay　here　so　long　as　I　had　done　at　Dorey；　I　built　a　long；　low；　narrow　shed；　about　seven　feet　high　on　one　side　and　four　on　the　other；　which　required　but　little　wood；　and　was　put　up　very　rapidly。　Our　sails；　with　a　few　old　attaps　from　a　deserted　but　in　the　village；　formed　the　walls；　and　a　quantity　of　〃cadjans；〃　or　palm…leaf　mats；　covered　in　the　roof。　On　the　third　day　my　house　was　finished；　and　all　my　things　put　in　and　comfortably　arranged　to　begin　work；　and　I　was　quite　pleased　at　having　got　established　so　quickly　and　in　such　a　nice　situation。

It　had　been　so　far　fine　weather；　but　in　the　night　it　rained　hard；　and　we　found　our　mat　roof　would　not　keep　out　water。　It　first　began　to　drop；　and　then　to　stream　over　everything。　I　had　to　get　up　in　the　middle　of　the　night　to　secure　my　insect…boxes；　rice；　and　other　perishable　articles；　and　to　find　a　dry　place　to　sleep　in；　for　my　bed　was　soaked。　Fresh　leaks　kept　forming　as　the　rain　continued；　and　w　e　all　passed　a　very　miserable　and　sleepless　night。　In　the　morning　the　sun　shone　brightly；　and　everything　was　put　out　to　dry。　We　tried　to　find　out　why　the　mats　leaked；　and　thought　we　had　discovered　that　they　had　been　laid　on　upside　down。　Having　shifted　there　all；　and　got　everything　dry　and　comfortable　by　the　evening；　we　again　went　to　bed；　and　before　midnight　were　again　awaked　by　torrent　of　rain　and　leaks　streaming　in　upon　us　as　bad　as　ever。　There　was　no　more　sleep　for　us　that　night；　and　the　next　day　our　roof　was　again　taken　to　pieces；　and　we　came　to　the　conclusion　that　the　fault　was　a　want　of　slope　enough　in　the　roof　for　mats；　although　it　would　be　sufficient　for　the　usual　attap　thatch。　I　therefore　purchased　a　few　new　and　some　old　attaps；　and　in　the　parts　these　would　not　cover　we　put　the　mats　double；　and　then　at　last　had　the　satisfaction　of　finding　our　roof　tolerably　water…tight。

I　was　now　able　to　begin　working　at　the　natural　history　of　the　island。　When　I　first　arrived　I　was　surprised　at　being　told　that　there　were　no　Paradise　Birds　at　Muka；　although　there　were　plenty　at　Bessir；　a　place　where　the　natives　caught　them　and　prepared　the　skins。　I　assured　the　people　I　had　heard　the　cry　of　these　birds　close　to　the　village；　but　they　world　not　believe　that　I　could　know　their　cry。　However；　the　very　first　time　I　went　into　the　forest　I　not　only　heard　but　saw　them；　and　was　convinced　there　were　plenty　about；　but　they　were　very　shy；　and　it　was　some　time　before　we　got　any。　My　hunter　first　shot　a　female；　and　I　one　day　got　very　close　to　a　fine　male。　He　was；　as　I　expected；　the　rare　red　species；　Paradisea　rubra；　which　alone　inhabits　this　island；　and　is　found　nowhere　else。　He　was　quite　low　down；　running　along　a　bough　searching　for　insects；　almost　like　a　woodpecker；　and　the　long　black　riband…like　filaments　in　his　tail　hung　down　in　the　most　graceful　double　curve　imaginable。　I　covered　him　with　my　gun；　and　was　going　to　use　the　barrel　which　had　a　very　small　charge　of　powder　and　number　eight　shot；　so　as　not　to　injure　his　plumage；　but　the　gun　missed　fire；　and　he　was　off　in　an　instant　among　the　thickest　jungle。　Another　day　we　saw　no　less　than　eight　fine　males　at　different　times；　and　fired　four　times　at　them；　but　though　other　birds　at　the　same　distance　almost　always　dropped；　these　all　got　away；　and　I　began　to　think　we　were　not　to　get　this　magnificent　species。　At　length　the　fruit　ripened　on　the　fig…tree　close　by　my　house；　and　many　birds　came　to　feed　on　it；　and　one　morning；　as　I　was　taking　my　coffee；　a　male　Paradise　Bird　was　seen　to　settle　on　its　top。　I　seized　my　gun；　ran　under　the　tree；　and；　gazing　up；　could　see　it　flying　across　from　branch　to　branch；　seizing　a　fruit　here　and　another　there；　and　then；　before　I　could　get　a　sufficient　aim　to　shoot　at　such　a　height　（for　it　was　one　of　the　loftiest　trees　of　the　tropics）；　it　was　away　into　the　forest。　They　now　visited　the　tree　every　morning；　but　they　stayed　so　short　a　time；　their　motions　were　so　rapid；　and　it　was　so　difficult　to　see　them；　owing　to　the　lower　trees；　which　impeded　the　view；　that　it　was　only　after　several　days'　watching；　and　one　or　two　misses；　that　I　brought　down　my　birda　male　in　the　most　magnificent　plumage。

This　bird　differs　very　much　from　the　two　large　species　which　I　had　already　obtained；　and；　although　it　wants　the　grace　imparted　by　their　long　golden　trains；　is　in　many　respects　more　remarkable　and　more　beautiful。　The　head；　back；　and　shoulders　are　clothed　with　a　richer　yellow；　the　deep　metallic　green　colour　of　the　throat　extends　further　over　the　head；　and　the　feathers　are　elongated　on　the　forehead　into　two　little　erectile　crests。　The　side　plumes　are　shorter；　but　are　of　a　rich　red　colour；　terminating　in　delicate　white　points；　and　the　middle　tail…　feathers　are　represented　by　two　long　rigid　glossy　ribands；　which　are　black；　thin；　and　semi…cylindrical；　and　droop　gracefully　in　a　spiral　curve。　Several　other　interesting　birds　were　obtained；　and　about　half…a…dozen　quite　new　ones；　but　none　of　any　remarkable　beauty；　except　the　lovely　little　dove；　Ptilonopus　pulchellus；　which　with　several　other　pigeons　I　shot　on　the　same　fig…tree　close　to　my　house。　It　is　of　a　beautiful　green　colour　above；　with　a　forehead　of　the　richest　crimson；　while　beneath　it　is　ashy　white　and　rich　yellow；　banded　with　violet　red。

On　the　evening　of　our　arrival　at　Muka　I　observed　what　appeared　like　a　display　of　Aurora　Borealis；　though　I　could　hardly　believe　that　this　was　possible　at　a　point　a　little　south　of　the　equator。　The　night　was　clear　and　calm；　and　the　northern　sky　presented　a　diffused　light；　with　a　constant　succession　of　faint　vertical　flashings　or　flickerings；　exactly　similar　to　an　ordinary　aurora　in　England。　The　next　day　was　fine；　but　after　that　the　weather　was　unprecedentedly　bad；　considering　that　it　ought　to　have　been　the　dry　monsoon。　For　near　a　month　we　had　wet　weather；　the　sun　either　not　appearing　at　all；　or　only　for　an　hour　or　two　about　noon。　Morning　and　evening；　as　well　as　nearly　all　night；　it　rained　or　drizzled；　and　boisterous　winds；　with　dark　clouds；　formed　the　daily　programme。　With　the　exception　that　it　was　never　cold；　it　was　just　such　weather　as　a　very　bad　English　November　or　February。

The　people　of　Waigiou　are　not　truly　indigenes　of　the　island；　which　possesses　no　〃Alfuros；〃　or　aboriginal　inhabitants。　They　appear　to　be　a　mixed　race；　partly　from　Gilolo；　partly　from　New　Guinea。　Malays　and　Alfuros　from　the　former　island　have　probably　settled　here；　and　many　of　them　have　taken　Papuan　wives　from　Salwatty　or　Dorey；　while　the　influx　of　people　from　those　places；　and　of　slaves；　has　led　to　the　formation　of　a　tribe　exhibiting　almost　all　the　transitions　from　a　nearly　pure　Malayan　to　an　entirely　Papuan　type。　The　language　spoken　by　them　is　entirely　Papuan；　being　that　which　is　used　on　all　the　coasts　of　Mysol；　Salwatty；　the　north…west　of　New　Guinea；　and　the　islands　in　the　great　Geelvink　Bay；a　fact　which　indicates　the　way　in　which　the　coast　settlements　have　been　formed。　The　fact　that　so　many　of　the　islands　between　New　Guinea　and　the　Moluccassuch　as　Waigiou；　Guebe；　Poppa；　Obi；　Batchian；　as　well　as　the　south　and　east　peninsulas　of　Gilolopossess　no　aboriginal　tribes；　but　are　inhabited　by　people　who　are　evidently　mongrels　and　wanderers；　is　a　remarkable　corroborative　proof　of　the　distinctness　of　the　Malayan　and　Papuan　races；　and　the　separation　of　the　geographical　areas　they　inhabit。　If　these　two　great　races　were　direct　modifications；　the　one　of　the　other；　we　should　expect　to　find　in　the　intervening　region　some　homogeneous　indigenous　race　presenting　intermediate　characters。　For　example；　between　the　whitest　inhabitants　of　Europe　and　the　black　Klings　of　South　India；　there　are　in　the　intervening　districts　homogeneous　races　which　form　a　gradual　transition　from　one　to　the　other；　while　in　America；　although　there　is　a　perfect　transition　from　the　Anglo…　Saxon　to　the　negro；　and　from　the　Spaniard　to　the　Indian；　there　is　no　homogeneous　race　forming　a　natural　transition　from　one　to　the　other。　In　the　Malay　Archipelago　we　have　an　excellent　example　of　two　absolutely　distinct　races；　which　appear　to　have　approached　each　other；　and　intermingled　in　an　unoccupied　territory　at　a　very　recent　epoch　in　the　history　of　man；　and　I　feel　satisfied　that　no　unprejudiced　person　could　study　them　on　the　spot　without　being　convinced　that　this　is　the　true　solution　of　the　problem；　rather　than　the　almost　universally　accepted　view　that　they　are　but　modifications　of　one　and　the　same　race。

The　people　of　Muka　live　in　that　abject　state　of　poverty　that　is　almost　always　found　where　the　sago…tree　is　abundant。　Very　few　of　them　take　the　trouble　to　plant　any　vegetables　or　fruit；　but　live　almost　entirely　on　sago　and　fish；　selling　a　little　tripang　or　tortoiseshell　to　buy　the　scanty　clothing　they　require。　Almost　all　of　them；　however；　possess　one　or　more　Papuan　slaves；　on　whose　labour　they　live　in　almost　absolute　idleness；　just　going　out　on　little　fishing　or　trading　excursions；　as　an　excitement　in　their　monotonou