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-58- Butterflies here are numerous and colorful. Great blue and black ones that look like the Morpho of South America, big black and white ones that look like lace, yellow, orange and brown, they drift exquisitely through the sunny atmosphere. Under foot little lizards skitter out of the path, shining like jewelry, coppery, or metallic blue steel, or brown and green. Buitenbos stops occasionally to collect orchids from some big tree; his best find was a species he had never seen before - a cluster of small yellow flowers, about the color of goldenrod . [[strikethrough]] Natives from Lajoen Lajoewen brin [[/strikethrough]] At noon, or even later, we come back to the Roemah Sobat. The crowd on the street corner, watching for us, trails us back to the house, all watching to see what we will do about the one man among them who has a lory, or a cuscus, for sale. As we approach the house we find still others squatting patiently in front of the verandah. Small girls hold out beetles on strings, small boys offer us sea shells, one old gentleman has a bamboo pole full of millipedes. One man has made such a lovely little woven basket for a couple of small and useless geckos that Bill buys them anyway. Usually he gives presents to natives for animals he cannot justifiably buy. Sunday afternoon the Controller, Mr. N. L. Los, comes to call, followed by two natives carrying on a pole an enormous cage containing two full grown cuscus. The next evening, after dark, the Assistant Controller, J. W. F. Meijlink, brings three cuscus - one pure white, one gray, and one mottled. They are curious animals and will make a grand show if we can get them home alive. The fur is thick and soft, and on the white ones is especially beautiful. The white ones are not albinos, their eyes are brown, but their ears and feet are pink. The brown cuscus have yellow ears and feet, and around their eyes is a circle of red, that gives them a peculiarly malevolent expression. The young ones are very pretty, with their sharp little noses, big eyes, and soft fur, but they are all ready to bite and scratch at the drop of a hat. Bill spent an hour and a half one afternoon transferring 3 cuscus from the inadequate bamboo cages in which they had been delivered to us into wodden, wire-fronted cages which we had had made for them. We have two carpenters working like mad trying to keep up with the specimens coming in. We have bought up all the wire in the village, and cages have to be devised with wooden bars in front. Two cuscus nearly eat their way out one night. Buitenbos hears them, and gets up and nails fresh boards over them by flashlight. B. catches a kingfisher in the resthouse one night by swinging a butterfly net over it. The next day Bill lets it escape, and mourns. He also lets a beautiful lory, whom Maynard has na ed 'Awkins, slip out of his hands. He had brought it out of its cage in order to clip its wings so we could play with it - 'Awkins was a pet before we got him - and the little bird suddenly spread both wings and zipped out of sight. We thought it was gone for good, but the Mandoer saw it come back, and caught it again for us. Snakes are brought in usually in bamboo poles. Larger specimens are tied to the outside of the poles. We got two fairly good-sized ones, a yellow [[strikethrough]] python and [[/strikethrough]] boa and Python amethystinus, a dark snake with a beautiful purple sheen.
