登陆注册
19850600000126

第126章

On the 4th of January I left Amboyna for Ternate; but two years later, in October 1859, I again visited it after my residence in Menado, and stayed a month in the town in a small house which Ihired for the sake of assorting and packing up a large and varied collection which I had brought with me from North Celebes, Ternate, and Gilolo. I was obliged to do this because the mail steamer would have come the following month by way of Amboyna to Ternate, and I should have been delayed two months before I could have reached the former place. I then paid my first visit to Ceram, and on returning to prepare for my second more complete exploration of that island, I stayed (much against my will) two months at Paso, on the isthmus which connects the two portions of the island of Amboyna. This village is situated on the eastern side of the isthmus, on sandy ground, with a very pleasant view over the sea to the island of Haruka. On the Amboyna side of the isthmus there is a small river which has been continued by a shallow canal to within thirty yards of high-water mark on the other side. Across this small space, which is sandy and but slightly elevated, all small boats and praus can be easily dragged, and all the smaller traffic from Ceram and the islands of Saparúa and Harúka, passes through Paso. The canal is not continued quite through, merely because every spring-tide would throw up just such a sand-bank as now exists.

I had been informed that the fine butterfly Ornithoptera priamus was plentiful here, as well as the racquet-tailed kingfisher and the ring-necked lory. I found, however, that I had missed the time for the former: and birds of all kinds were very scarce, although I obtained a few good ones, including one or two of the above-mentioned rarities. I was much pleased to get here the fine long-armed chafer, Euchirus longimanus. This extraordinary insect is rarely or never captured except when it comes to drink the sap of the sugar palms, where it is found by the natives when they go early in the morning to take away the bamboos which have been filled during the night. For some time one or two were brought me every day, generally alive. They are sluggish insects, and pull themselves lazily along by means of their immense forelegs. Afigure of this and other Moluccan beetles is given in the 27th chapter of this work.

I was kept at Paso by an inflammatory eruption, brought on by the constant attacks of small acari-like harvest-bugs, for which the forests of Ceram are famous, and also by the want of nourishing food while in that island. At one time I was covered with severe boils. I had them on my eye, cheek, armpits, elbows, back, thighs, knees, and ankles, so that I was unable to sit or walk, and had great difficulty in finding a side to lie upon without pain. These continued for some weeks, fresh ones coming out as fast as others got well; but good living and sea baths ultimately cured them.

About the end of January Charles Allen, who had been my assistant in Malacca and Borneo, again joined me on agreement for three years; and as soon as I got tolerably well, we had plenty to do laying in stores and making arrangements for our ensuing campaign. Our greatest difficulty was in obtaining men, but at last we succeeded in getting two each. An Amboyna Christian named Theodorus Watakena, who had been some time with me and had learned to skin birds very well, agreed to go with Allen, as well as a very quiet and industrious lad named Cornelius, whom I had brought from Menado. I had two Amboynese, named Petrus Rehatta, and Mesach Matahena; the latter of whom had two brothers, named respectively Shadrach and Abednego, in accordance with the usual custom among these people of giving only Scripture names to their children.

During the time I resided in this place, I enjoyed a luxury I have never met with either before or since--the true bread-fruit. Agood deal of it has been planted about here and in the surrounding villages, and almost everyday we had opportunities of purchasing some, as all the boats going to Amboyna were unloaded just opposite my door to be dragged across the isthmus.

Though it grows in several other parts of the Archipelago, it is nowhere abundant, and the season for it only lasts a short time.

It is baked entire in the hot embers, and the inside scooped out with a spoon. I compared it to Yorkshire pudding; Charles Allen said it was like mashed potatoes and milk. It is generally about the size of a melon, a little fibrous towards the centre, but everywhere else quite smooth and puddingy, something in consistence between yeast-dumplings and batter-pudding. We sometimes made curry or stew of it, or fried it in slices; but it is no way so good as simply baked. It may be eaten sweet or savory. With meat and gravy it is a vegetable superior to any Iknow, either in temperate or tropical countries. With sugar, milk, butter, or treacle, it is a delicious pudding, having a very slight and delicate but characteristic flavour, which, like that of good bread and potatoes, one never gets tired of. The reason why it is comparatively scarce is that it is a fruit of which the seeds are entirely aborted by cultivation, and the tree can therefore only be propagated by cuttings. The seed-bearing variety is common all over the tropics, and though the seeds are very good eating, resembling chestnuts, the fruit is quite worthless as a vegetable. Now that steam and Ward's cases render the transport of young plants so easy, it is much to be wished that the best varieties of this unequalled vegetable should be introduced into our West India islands, and largely propagated there. As the fruit will keep some time after being gathered, we might then be able to obtain this tropical luxury in Covent Garden Market.

Although the few months I at various times spent in Amboyna were not altogether very profitable to me in the way of collections, it will always remain as a bright spot in the review of my Eastern travels, since it was there that I first made the acquaintance of those glorious birds and insects which render the Moluccas classic ground in the eyes of the naturalist, and characterise its fauna as one of the most remarkable and beautiful upon the globe. On the 20th of February I finally quitted Amboyna for Ceram and Waigiou, leaving Charles Allen to go by a Government boat to Wahai on the north coast of Ceram, and thence to the unexplored island of Mysol.

The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russell Wallace

同类推荐
  • Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices

    Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 法镜经

    法镜经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 馗书

    馗书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 正一法文十箓召仪

    正一法文十箓召仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Troiles and Cressida

    Troiles and Cressida

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 百鬼列传

    百鬼列传

    一位男子,十二个家族,上百个阵营,千万种魔物;当你发现自己处在命运的涡流之中,你会隐于淡淡市井,还是左右世界沉浮?我们看到的【世界】是真实的吗?那些人类眼球所捕捉不到的【生物】究竟有多少?千奇百怪的生物,与众不同的【能力】,考验智商的战斗方式,尽在【百鬼列传】!
  • 我们都不曾走远

    我们都不曾走远

    他们很早就遇见过,又很快分开了。儿时的他们没有爱情,却留给彼此永远难忘的记忆。长大的他们重新认识,而彼此相爱了。可是他们身上背负了太多的故事,当事实渐渐清晰时,爱情开始逃亡。爱情是什么,幸福又是什么,这是童苑在表姐去世后深刻思考的问题。当秋天再来的时候,是不是还是收获的季节?我看见风吹过、云飘过,可是对你得思念却驻扎在心里了。很长一段时间,我觉得自己太残酷,为什么给这么好的女孩这么多的不幸,我们还怎么信任生活。可是如果你看见了那么残酷的生活,让你泪如雨下,你还会舍得不珍惜你现在的幸福生活吗?我常常站在公车上对着外面的蓝天发呆,心里默默为童苑哭泣,我才惊觉我被命运多么眷顾着才会如此幸福。
  • 重生战凰:狂女狠嚣张

    重生战凰:狂女狠嚣张

    她是将门虎女,第一女将军,她鞠躬尽瘁助夫君登上皇位,却与嫡姐同处后位,结发妻子自此被打入冷宫、武功尽废。她是克星庶女,将军府四小姐,她为扭转命运而强势嚣张,只为将那狼狈为奸的负心汉和嫡姐打入地狱。
  • 纵把时光都许你

    纵把时光都许你

    本文讲述了家境并不富裕的陈果儿和富家公子姚尊宪的故事,两次偶然让陈果儿这个穷姑娘和富家公子姚尊宪有了牵扯,他的蛮横、坏脾气都充满着霸道的纨绔子弟作风,而她却因为母亲的原因不得不做起这个小少爷的贴身“奴隶”,两个价值观截然不同的人就这样相互联系到了一起,他对她百般刁难,恶意欺负,她都一一忍让。而她的坚韧,顽强,都一点点刻入了他的心房……命运一再地和他们开起玩笑,他们之间又将有什么样的故事与纠葛,他们的爱情,究竟要经历怎样的过程……
  • 半暖时光(上)

    半暖时光(上)

    《大漠谣》《最美的时光》《那些回不去的年少时光》之后,桐华最新最美都市情感小说,腾讯文学首发!纵然明明知道,终有一日,所有的悲欢、所有的爱恨,都会随时光老去,我仍然竭力地、竭力地搜集着,那些美丽的、纠缠着的,值得为你活了一次的记忆,生命的运行从来都自有规则,你无法决定它的开始,也无法决定它的结束,甚至无法决定,在生命的旅途中遇见的是好事还是坏事,但是,你永远都能决定面对它们的态度。
  • 意能

    意能

    懒虫,花痴,自恋,闷骚,孤僻,离群......一个个错位的形容词,构成了陈念在西州大学里的大众印象。错位的不单只有形象,还有他的生活。特殊的身份,无聊的任务,异样的眼光,糟糕的身体......这些都非他所愿,但他不得不面对。因为在他的生命中,有些事物无法割舍,为了守护这些美好和脆弱,他不懈地追求强大!真正的强大,精神上的强大!飞扬的青春,小舞最擅长的校园生活;不一样的异术超能,独创的意能体系,介于现实和异能之间的——意念之能。很独特,很爽的一本都市书,值得期待。(已有180万字《超级物品》,书号1308238,嫌本书瘦的,可以先去宰杀物品,保证过瘾)本书群号:104717060
  • 蛊人

    蛊人

    我七岁成了蛊人……我是九个小孩中唯一活下来的那个,另外八个七窍流血、万虫钻心而死……
  • 天生十对

    天生十对

    候补月老,却遇上了十世光棍。超级明星,武术指导,电竞佳人,冷漠女警……为了修正阴阳,十条红线就这样牵到了吴炼面前。“红线全都断了有什么用啊!”“修补姻缘,就要看你的本事咯。”.(主角并不是能以一挡百的赛亚人,也不是被瞪一眼就会杀人全家的中二病,和我们大多数人一样,他是个有点小邪恶,有点小算计,却又心怀正义的普通人……)
  • 罪恶奶妈

    罪恶奶妈

    “做奶妈,就要像我这样!”陈恕言翘着二郎腿。拿着一个中二神器,砸人、砸人、还是砸人!什么?你说她不是奶妈吗?行,她身为一个奶妈,砸人、救人、轮白她!你说她霸道?姐就是霸道,怎么了?有本事你打得过我!“小萝莉,这么霸道可不好哦~”他揉了揉她的头。“死萝莉控!站住,再摸我头就砸死你!”(每天稳定更新,除非特殊原因!保底基础一更,最多五更~更新时间基本是中午和晚上~)
  • 妖孽难缠:夫君,别碰我

    妖孽难缠:夫君,别碰我

    “夫君,别碰我!”什么?他一定要跟她生个白白胖胖的儿子?!