the malay archipelago-1-第34章

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s　made　of　split　bamboo；　and　is　rather　shaky；　and　there　is　no　sign　of　anything　we　should　call　furniture。　There　are　no　benches　or　chairs　or　stools；　but　merely　the　level　floor　covered　with　mats；　on　which　the　inmates　sit　or　lie。　The　aspect　of　the　village　itself　is　very　neat；　the　ground　being　often　swept　before　the　chief　houses；　but　very　bad　odours　abound；　owing　to　there　being　under　every　house　a　stinking　mud…hole；　formed　by　all　waste　liquids　and　refuse　matter；　poured　down　through　the　floor　above。　In　most　other　things　Malays　are　tolerably　cleanin　some　scrupulously　so；　and　this　peculiar　and　nasty　custom；　which　is　almost　universal；　arises；　I　have　little　doubt；　from　their　having　been　originally　a　maritime　and　water…loving　people；　who　built　their　houses　on　posts　in　the　water；　and　only　migrated　gradually　inland；　first　up　the　rivers　and　streams；　and　then　into　the　dry　interior。　Habits　which　were　at　once　so　convenient　and　so　cleanly；　and　which　had　been　so　long　practised　as　to　become　a　portion　of　the　domestic　life　of　the　nation；　were　of　course　continued　when　the　first　settlers　built　their　houses　inland；　and　without　a　regular　system　of　drainage；　the　arrangement　of　the　villages　is　such　that　any　other　system　would　be　very　inconvenient。

In　all　these　Sumatran　villages　I　found　considerable　difficulty　in　getting　anything　to　eat。　It　was　not　the　season　for　vegetables；　and　when；　after　much　trouble；　I　managed　to　procure　some　yams　of　a　curious　variety；　I　found　them　hard　and　scarcely　eatable。　Fowls　were　very　scarce；　and　fruit　was　reduced　to　one　of　the　poorest　kinds　of　banana。　The　natives　（during　the　wet　season　at　least）　live　exclusively　on　rice；　as　the　poorer　Irish　do　on　potatoes。　A　pot　of　rice　cooked　very　dry　and　eaten　with　salt　and　red　peppers；　twice　a　day；　forms　their　entire　food　during　a　large　part　of　the　year。　This　is　no　sign　of　poverty；　but　is　simply　custom；　for　their　wives　and　children　are　loaded　with　silver　armlets　from　wrist　to　elbow；　and　carry　dozens　of　silver　coins　strung　round　their　necks　or　suspended　from　their　ears。

As　I　had　moved　away　from　Palembang；　I　had　found　the　Malay　spoken　by　the　common　people　less　and　less　pure；　until　at　length　it　became　quite　unintelligible；　although　the　continual　recurrence　of　many　well…known　words　assured　me　it　was　a　form　of　Malay；　and　enabled　me　to　guess　at　the　main　subject　of　conversation。　This　district　had　a　very　bad　reputation　a　few　years　ago；　and　travellers　were　frequently　robbed　and　murdered。　Fights　between　village　and　village　were　also　of　frequent　occurrence；　and　many　lives　were　lost；　owing　to　disputes　about　boundaries　or　intrigues　with　women。　Now；　however；　since　the　country　has　been　divided　into　districts　under　〃Controlleurs；〃　who　visit　every　village　in　turn　to　hear　complaints　and　settle　disputes；　such　things　are　heard　of　no　more。　This　is　one　of　the　numerous　examples　I　have　met　with　of　the　good　effects　of　the　Dutch　Government。　It　exercises　a　strict　surveillance　over　its　most　distant　possessions；　establishes　a　form　of　government　well　adapted　to　the　character　of　the　people；　reforms　abuses；　punishes　crimes；　and　makes　itself　everywhere　respected　by　the　native　population。

Lobo　Raman　is　a　central　point　of　the　east　end　of　Sumatra；　being　about　a　hundred　and　twenty　miles　from　the　sea　to　the　east；　north；　and　west。　The　surface　is　undulating；　with　no　mountains　or　even　hills；　and　there　is　no　rock；　the　soil　being　generally　a　red　pliable　clay。　Numbers　of　small　streams　and　rivers　intersect　the　country；　and　it　is　pretty　equally　divided　between　open　clearings　and　patches　of　forest；　both　virgin　and　second　growth；　with　abundance　of　fruit　trees；　and　there　is　no　lack　of　paths　to　get　about　in　any　direction。　Altogether　it　is　the　very　country　that　would　promise　most　for　a　naturalist；　and　I　feel　sure　that　at　a　more　favourable　time　of　year　it　would　prove　exceedingly　rich；　but　it　was　now　the　rainy　season；　when；　in　the　very　best　of　localities；　insects　are　always　scarce；　and　there　being　no　fruit　on　the　trees；　there　was　also　a　scarcity　of　birds。　During　a　month's　collecting；　I　added　only　three　or　four　new　species　to　my　list　of　birds；　although　I　obtained　very　fine　specimens　of　many　which　were　rare　and　interesting。　In　butterflies　I　was　rather　more　successful；　obtaining　several　fine　species　quite　new　to　me；　and　a　considerable　number　of　very　rare　and　beautiful　insects。　I　will　give　here　some　account　of　two　species　of　butterflies；　which；　though　very　common　in　collections；　present　us　with　peculiarities　of　the　highest　interest。

The　first　is　the　handsome　Papilio　memnon；　a　splendid　butterfly　of　a　deep　black　colour；　dotted　over　with　lines　and　groups　of　scales　of　a　clear　ashy　blue。　Its　wings　are　five　inches　in　expanse；　and　the　hind　wings　are　rounded；　with　scalloped　edges。　This　applies　to　the　males；　but　the　females　are　very　different；　and　vary　so　much　that　they　were　once　supposed　to　form　several　distinct　species。　They　may　be　divided　into　two　groupsthose　which　resemble　the　male　in　shape；　and；　those　which　differ　entirely　from　him　in　the　outline　of　the　wings。　The　first　vary　much　in　colour；　being　often　nearly　white　with　dusky　yellow　and　red　markings；　but　such　differences　often　occur　in　butterflies。　The　second　group　are　much　more　extraordinary；　and　would　never　be　supposed　to　be　the　same　insect；　since　the　hind　wings　are　lengthened　out　into　large　spoon…　shaped　tails；　no　rudiment　of　which　is　ever　to　be　perceived　in　the　males　or　in　the　ordinary　form　of　females。　These　tailed　females　are　never　of　the　dark　and　blue…glossed　tints　which　prevail　in　the　male　and　often　occur　in　the　females　of　the　same　form；　but　are　invariably　ornamented　with　stripes　and　patches　of　white　or　buff；　occupying　the　larger　part　of　the　surface　of　the　hind　wings。　This　peculiarity　of　colouring　led　me　to　discover　that　this　extraordinary　female　closely　resembles　（when　flying）　another　butterfly　of　the　same　genus　but　of　a　different　group　（Papilio　co？n）；　and　that　we　have　here　a　case　of　mimicry　similar　to　those　so　well　illustrated　and　explained　by　Mr。　Bates。＇　Trans。　Linn。　Soc。　vol。　xviii。　p。　495；　〃Naturalist　on　the　Amazons；〃　vol。　i。　p。　290。＇

That　the　resemblance　is　not　accidental　is　sufficiently　proved　by　the　fact；　that　in　the　North　of　India；　where　Papilio　co？n　is　replaced　by　all　allied　forms；　（Papilio　Doubledayi）　having　red　spots　in　place　of　yellow；　a　closely…allied　species　or　variety　of　Papilio　memnon　（P。　androgens）　has　the　tailed　female　also　red　spotted。　The　use　and　reason　of　this　resemblance　appears　to　be　that　the　butterflies　imitated　belong　to　a　section　of　the　genus　Papilio　which　from　some　cause　or　other　are　not　attacked　by　birds；　and　by　so　closely　resembling　these　in　form　and　colour　the　female　of　Memnon　and　its　ally；　also　escape　persecution。　Two　other　species　of　this　same　section　（Papilio　antiphus　and　Papilio　polyphontes）　are　so　closely　imitated　by　two　female　forms　of　Papilio　tbeseus　（which　comes　in　the　same　section　with　Memnon）；　that　they　completely　deceived　the　Dutch　entomologist　De　Haan；　and　he　accordingly　classed　them　as　the　same　species！

But　the　most　curious　fact　connected　with　these　distinct　forms　is　that　they　are　both　the　offspring　of　either　form。　A　single　brood　of　larva　were　bred　in　Java　by　a　Dutch　entomologist；　and　produced　males　as　well　as　tailed　and　tailless　females；　and　there　is　every　reason　to　believe　that　this　is　always　the　case；　and　that　forms　intermediate　in　character　never　occur。　To　illustrate　these　phenomena；　let　us　suppose　a　roaming　Englishman　in　some　remote　island　to　have　two　wivesone　a　black…haired/　red…skinned　Indian；　the　other　a　woolly…headed/　sooty…skinned　negress；　and　that　instead　of　the　children　being　mulattoes　of　brown　or　dusky　tints；　mingling　the　characteristics　of　each　parent　in　varying　degrees；　all　the　boys　should　be　as　fair…skinned　and　blue…eyed　as　their　father；　while　the　girls　should　altogether　resemble　their　mothers。　This　would　be　thought　strange　enough；　but　the　case　of　these　butterflies　is　yet　more　extraordinary；　for　each　mother　is　capable　not　only　of　producing　male　offspring　like　the　father；　and　female　like　herself；　but　also　other　females　like　her　fellow　wife；　and　altogether　differing　from　herself！

The　other　species　to　which　I　have　to　direct　attention　is　the　Kallima　paralekta；　a　butterfly　of　the　same　family　group　as　our　Purple　Emperor；　and　of　a