Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/205

Rh The trees rise to 100 or 150 feet in height, and underneath is a damp gloom, rather uncanny. I do not know what these trees are, but there are many banyan trees with great buttresses, and canary trees (Canarium). The natives alone can penetrate this labyrinth by narrow, winding paths; others must cut their way through. The wild boars are ferocious, the boas harmless; but there are also many poisonous snakes, scores of lizards, including the large monitor which the natives are fond of eating, crocodiles in the waters, and, of course, birds. The beautiful blue-crested crown pigeon is as good to eat as to look at. There are bush hens, which bury their eggs in the sand to be hatched, and, of course, there are the wonderful birds of paradise. The natives get these latter by watching where they roost, hiding in the tree, and shooting them with arrows. They, however, often spoil the skins, and many of those offered here for sale are useless. They cost here It is really much more than they do in London. only the natives who get them. We heard them quite near, but could never see them. The Professor could tell us which was the male or the female by its note. Eight hundred species of Papuan birds are now known, including ninety species of pigeons and eighty species of parrots. To enter into details about these would mean a volume to itself. Very singular is the Pteridophora alberti, a bird of paradise that has two long, wiry strings from its head ornamented with pale blue horny discs like shells.

I always had a vague feeling of disappointment that there were no wild beasts. There are rumours of apes in the interior, but no one seems to have seen any. You feel there ought to be leopards or tigers to go with the scenery. They might introduce a few to add to the attractions;