Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/176

 168 CELEBES island crossed by the equator. It lies between lat. 1 50' K and 5 30' S., and Ion. 119 and 125 E., and is bounded N. by the Celebes sea, E. by the Molucca passage and Banta sea, S. by the Flores sea, and W. by Macassar strait, which separates it from Borneo by an average distance of 120 m., though the breadth of the strait is only about 60 m. at the narrowest part. The outline of Celebes is exceedingly irregular, and has been compared to the form of a huge grass- hopper. The island is perhaps best described as a nucleus with its centre on the 120th me- ridian, 2 S. of the equator, whence radiate four penins'ulas : one northward along the 120th meridian to about lat. 1 N., and thence easter- ly and northerly about 380 m. to near Ion. 125 E., which is sometimes called the Menado penin- sula, and terminates at Cape Polesan in the province of Minahasa ; one eastward, known as the Balante peninsula, 182 m. in length, and separated from the preceding by the gulf of Tomini or Gorontalo ; one in a southeasterly direction to a distance of 170 m., called the Tabunku peninsula, with the Tolo gulf lying between it and Balante; and one southward, W. of the Boni gulf, which also washes the W. shore of the Tabunku peninsula, to the southernmost extremity of the island, including the Dutch settlement of Macassar. The maxi- mum length of Celebes from N. to S. lies along the 120th meridian, and is nearly 500 m. The greatest distance from E. to W., measured along the northern peninsula, is not far from 800 m. There are about 2,600 m. of seacoast. Wallace says the size of Celebes is about equal to that of Ireland ; by the Dutch and other authorities its area is stated to be upward of 70,000 sq. m., or more than twice as great. The population was formerly estimated at be- tween 2,000,000 and 3,000,000, but probably does not exceed 1,000,000. The interior of Celebes is elevated and generally mountainous, but nowhere volcanic except near the eastern end of the northern peninsula, in a district which it has been conjectured was once a sepa- rate island. Each peninsula is traversed by a range of mountains, the loftiest summit in Cel- ebes being Lompo-Batang, near Macassar, 8,200 ft. high. The prevailing rock in this part of the island is limestone, resting on basalt. A consid- erable thickness of vegetable mould is found even on the hill tops and steeper mountain slopes. There are 11 volcanoes in Minahasa, and earthquakes are of frequent occurrence there. The principal volcanic peaks are Mt. Klabat, 6,560 ft.; Mt. Lokon, 5,140 ft.; Mt. Sudara, " the Sisters," consisting of twin cones, of which the highest is 4,390 ft. ; and Batu Angus, in Ma- lay "the Hot Rock," which is in fact a volcano with its top blown off, and has an elevation of 2,290 ft. The rocks of this region are trachytic lavas, volcanic sand and ashes, pumice stone, and conglomerates. The decomposition of vol- canic products has rendered whole districts prodigiously fertile. Hot springs and miniature volcanoes which emit boiling mud exist in this I portion of Celebes. The largest river of the island is the Chinrana, which flows from Lake Labaya a distance of 53 m. into the Boni gulf. The lake, which is also called Sedenveng, is in the country of the Bughis, whose boats throng its waters. It is 24 m. long, 13 m. wide, and varies in depth, according to the season, from 32 to 60 ft. In Minahasa, the lower part of an elevated plateau is occupied by a beautiful lake called Tondano, at a height of 2,272 ft. above the level of the sea. It extends about 17 m. j in a northerly and southerly direction, and is ! from 2 to 7m. wide. Its greatest depth is 74 j ft. A stream of considerable size known as the Boli enters the sea on the N. coast, and on the W. coast, S. of Macassar, is the mouth of another river. The island is for the most part well watered by small streams. The natural history of Celebes presents some striking pecu- liarities. The island is not only remarkable for the individuality of its animal productions, but also for the absence of groups found else- where throughout the region of zoological dis- tribution of which it is the geographical centre. Wallace says that in order to account for the number of animal forms possessed by Celebes which show no relation to those of India or Australia, we must assume that it is one of the oldest parts of the archipelago, and dates from a period when the land that constitutes Bor- neo, Java, and Sumatra had not risen above the ocean. Of the 14 species of terrestrial mammalia, 10 are peculiar to the island, a lemur, a deer resembling a Javan species, and the common Malay civet being met with else- where as well. Among those which are dis- tinctive, the most noteworthy is the sapi-utan or wild cow of the Malays (anoa depressicor- wis), which frequents the mountains only, and is described as a creature resembling the ox- like antelopes of Africa. The other mammalian species peculiar to Celebes are : a black baboon - Hke monkey (cynopithecug nigresceiui), with a tail scarcely long enough to be visible ; a pecu- liar wild hog; five species of squirrels ; and two species of eastern opossums. Seven species of bats are known to exist. The island is the chief habitat of the babyroussa. Of birds there are 191 species, 128 of which are land birds, and 80 strictly confined to Celebes. They com- prise hawks, crows, parrots, owls, woodpeck- ers, cuckoos, bee-eaters, hornbills, fly-catchers, starlings, pigeons, and the curious maleo (mega- cephalon rubripes), a gallinaceous bird allied to the Australian brush turkey. Pythons and other serpents are very numerous, the former attain- ing a length of 15 ft. Insect life is abundant, the number of peculiar species being large. Millipeds 8 and 10 inches long frequent houses in the rainy season. The uncultivated portions of Celebes are covered with forest, abounding in the luxurious vegetation of an equatorial climate, such as pandani, tree ferns, the wild jackfruit tree, and palms, including the cocoa- nut, the betelnut, the sago, the sugar palm (arenga saccharifera), and the gomuti palm, the