SCIENCE IN NEW GUINEA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4870, 31 October 1876, Page 3

SCIENCE IN NEW GUINEA.

Dr. Bennett forwards thefollowingletter to: .the Sydney J3^r:l)o(sU>v, ; X have Written: aletter to the, committee, necessarily,- very..brief, as.l have but little time,; and rfti very; scanty, .supply.,, of, paper,. J-am| satisfied with the' collections! have made,- not, for the number, but for the; , quality. 1 1,:bay,e, four species,‘of 'birds .of paradise; (Paradiaea), the P. raggiftna, the P. apoda, the twelvewired bird of paradise (Seleudicea alba), the; king bird of paradise(Cioinnunis regius), and: the rifle bird (Epimachua magnificus. - .1 got a perfect adult, specimen of. a cassowary, which; I thinkis Casuarins; bicaronculatus; also the Dasyptilus pecquetl, > a new genus of Ptilotia, and. a splendid new species of (Graculs, and several other small but/yery interesting:b?ids.' I have seen many birds which are not included in the Avi-fauna of New Guinea, as .the Pele-, canua. conspiculatus, the Jabiru (Mysteiin Australia), i:and the pygmy goose (Nettapus pulchellus). Among my fish I have ,sorae fine atid'large species. ,Qf . I • have very , few, except a water anake, whloh I hope will be something; extraordinarily r.new.'• Among my: insects I have some : fine • Coleqytera (beetles), but the'.season was,not very favorable for them. I expected to have about five hundred ’ species of dried-plants, and; between twenty and thirty of living plants collected far in the interior, many of which I did not get

afterwards. I hope Mr. C. Uobre will ..he satisfied, as I have, some, fine crotons and palms among them/ also' some ferns with variegated leaves, orchids, .and several other plants with variegated, or spotted foliage, &c., from , the very centre of . New. Guinea. I hope Mr. Moore has' Beut| to Somerset.,some Wardian-,cases,..so that the plants , may, not. be destroyed 'by the sea breezes; during the passage to Sydney. r I much regret that I .cannot send you any specimens, but, l, have not , a box to pact them in ; the few boxes 1 have are filled with earth and living plants; My. ethnological collections are very irndeecf;/ I haye .literally cleared all the houses/ arid T have‘the beat collected pf, the atone, implements of/New Guinea ever seen, of every kind arid description. .1 have also the ornaments-used when dancing and When engaged iri; war, paddles for their canoes, &c.- .1 procured dresses of various patterns, some petticoats made of human hair, others !ot grass, both ,of the . natural color 'and dyed. Stone implements, finished Sand unfinished ; painted and carved skulls, ■stuffed ) human • heads,! arrow? pointed' (wit|iihone, artistically worked, and the cement used jin fixing the;:points.,>L am;,very., anxious "to | show you everything, and sea your surprise at ■the beauty. of; my .collection/: as, ypn. t can so j well appreciate it.; jL hope my plan of .the. Ely, river will be correct. .I have noted mile hy mile, and every day l landed I .recorded the [nature of the soil, &c. I hope r tUe .GpYern.'. iment,.committee, aud .Bubaoribers to the expei ditiouf will : be, satisfied yrifb 1 theconfidence , Ithey placed in me, and, more sOjW&m.l.have | time to publish my notes in extonso, I (have investigated science in all its various |branches/; :.more j especially) Anthropology. ■Thar;; prpsencej !; .of ri ‘_the,'£ great bird of i paradise—(Earadlsea—apoda, Linn.)... in.- the. j centre of New Guinea, but at the same time in ; almost the same latitude as Am Island, is of [the greatest importance after what Lesson !has asserted, and’which..has-been denied by i Wallace. '/Ii have got: specimens- in every ‘stage;of plumage,.and of,both qexes, and I Ihaye no doubt it is the P. apoda, and ,not the [p. papuaua. olt is, nevertheless, much; smaller jthan all the.spcoimensfl have seenjln the,j British Museum; and in the-collections of My,, jßeccari arid Mr, Ooclcroll, and if with this I distinction, .when compared, any other differi ence may, .‘be;, perceptible; ; tjhen it will proi bably prove to., be -a. new. speoiee. ,„Eor._ the. present I believe ,it tto bo the Paradisea apoda. I have two beautiful male birds in full plumage, and also of the P. raggiana. I hope the committee willbe pleased with the short report have sent, hut. at the same time to suspend- ; their.. judgment of all v that, I have done until j they., receive, a more, (extended and minuter account . of..the,/expedition from me,” r- [My.D’Albertis concludes his letter with a lew lines !addressed,to,Mrs//Bennett, in which he says]:' i—“I am in good health and spirits and re- ! meinber your kindness, for I bought. bananas, i when ! was starving, with the red woreted rib- ; bons adorned with pearlshells you gave me to : traffic with jthe: natives.::rt;l.also.enjoyed the large; plum-cake for- a-month, and finished it in'thetrue centre of New Guinea, and wished I Lad another. The flag was, the. admiration of the natives' of Moatta, and I bore it in re-, membrance of the ladies 1 who'presented r it to me.” ■ 1 '; - L. M. D’Albertis.