A NATURALIST IN NEW GUINEA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 318, 6 July 1912, Page 1 (Supplement)

A NATURALIST IN NEW GUINEA.

PERILOUS ADVENTURES. Tales of perilous adventures in the snow mountain? of New Guinea, of wanderings among tribes who scarcely know of the existence of white men, of encounters with head-hunting cannibals and of the discovery of butterflies the size of bats and birds of paradise of surpassingly brilliant plumage, are but a few of the experiences of Mr. A. L. Meek, who for twenty-three years has been exploring in New Guinea, and has only recently returned to England. Mr. Meek is agent and collector for the Hon. Walter Rothschild's famous museum at Tring Park, and during his numerous expeditions he has collected hundreds of thousands of specimens, including more new species of birds than he himself can remember. He sets out on his explorations accompanied by about fifteen black boys, whom he pays about 10s a month each. He has a house of palm leaves built for him in the heart of the jungle, and sets to work collecting specimens. Overtures are made to the natives, whom he enlists in the work of hunting birds and insects. Some of these native tribes are so primitive that it is difficult even to barter with them. When given steel knives they put them in their gardens as fetishes, and calico they hang on trees. Many of these tribes are cannibals, but chiefly among themselves, and provided he exercises some discretion and clearly indicates to them his pacific intentions, the white explorer may approach them without danger. Unpleasant incidents, however, occur at times, as when the natives killed and ate a couple of Mr. Meek's black boys, while he was away butterfly-hunting'. But the bones were returned afterwards, presumably to show that there was no real ill-will! The assistance of the natives is a valuable asset in butterfly-hunting, for they show great skill in shooting them with their fourpronged arrows. Of all Mr. Meek's disl coveries in the domains of ornithology and entvmology, the most important and interesting is that of a species of giant butterfly the size of a small bat. The females, which are more common and larger than the males, measure liy s in across the wings. They are all black, 01 brown, or white, while the males arc black and gold, green and gold, or, ir fact, aiiv color. Females were easilj captured", but Mr. Rothschild wanted s male, and sent Mr. Meek on another ex pedition to get one. It was only aftei seven weeks' continuous .search and th< expenditure of several hundred pounds that the explorer was able to procuri one. Another new species was discover ed which was unique in possessing _ t coating of hair on its body, this servinj as a protectiong against the intense cob of its habitat among the 1 snow moun tains.