boring. They pushed at each other with their rostra, and clawed and thumped,
apparently in the greatest rage, although their coats of mail must have saved both
from injury. The small one, however, soon ran away, acknowledging himself
vanquished. In most Coleoptera the female is larger than the male, and it is
therefore interesting, as bearing on the question of sexual selection, that in this
case, as in the stag-beetles where the males fight together, they should be not
only better armed, but also much larger than the females. Just as we were going
away, a handsome tree, allied to Erythrina, was in blossom, showing its masses
of large crimson flowers scattered here and there about the forest. Could it have
been seen from an elevation, it would have had a fine effect; from below I could
only catch sight of masses of gorgeous colour in clusters and festoons overhead,
about which flocks of blue and orange lories were fluttering and screaming.
A good many people died at Dobbo this season; I believe about twenty. They
were buried in a little grove of Casuarinas behind my house. Among the traders
was a. Mahometan priest, who superintended the funerals, which were very
simple. The body was wrapped up in new white cotton cloth, and was carried on
a bier to the grave. All the spectators sat down on the ground, and the priest
chanted some verses from the Koran. The graves were fenced round with a slight
bamboo railing, and a little carved wooden head-post was put to mark the spot.
There was also in the village a small mosque, where every Friday the faithful
went to pray. This is probably more remote from Mecca than any other mosque
in the world, and marks the farthest eastern extension of the Mahometan
religion. The Chinese here, as elsewhere, showed their superior wealth and
civilization by tombstones of solid granite brought from Singapore, with deeply-
cut inscriptions, the characters of which are painted in red, blue, and gold. No
people have more respect for the graves of their relations and friends than this
strange, ubiquitous, money-getting people.
Soon after we had returned to Dobbo, my Macassar boy, Baderoon, took his
wages and left me, because I scolded him for laziness. He then occupied himself
in gambling, and at first had some luck, and bought ornaments, and had plenty of
money. Then his luck turned; he lost everything, borrowed money and lost that,
and was obliged to become the slave of his creditor till he had worked out the
debt. He was a quick and active lad when he pleased, but was apt to be idle, and
had such an incorrigible propensity for gambling, that it will very likely lead to
his becoming a slave for life.
The end of June was now approaching, the east monsoon had set in steadily,
and in another week or two Dobbo would be deserted. Preparations for departure
were everywhere visible, and every sunny day (rather rare now) the streets were