The　island　of　Morty；　close　to　the　north…eastern　extremity　of　Gilolo；　was　visited　by　my　assistant　Charles　Allen；　as　well　as　by　Dr。　Bernstein；　and　the　collections　obtained　there　present　some　curious　differences　from　those　of　the　main　island。　About　fifty…　six　species　of　land…birds　are　known　to　inhabit　this　island；　and　of　these；　a　kingfisher　（Tanysiptera　Boris）；　a　honey…sucker　（Tropidorhynchus　fuscicapillus）；　and　a　large　crow…like　starling　（Lycocorax　morotensis）；　are　quite　distinct　from　allied　species　found　in　Gilolo。　The　island　is　coralline　and　sandy；　and　we　must　therefore　believe　it　to　have　been　separated　from　Gilolo　at　a　somewhat　remote　epoch；　while　we　learn　from　its　natural　history　that　an　arm　of　the　sea　twenty…five　miles　wide　serves　to　limit　the　range　even　of　birds　of　considerable　powers　of　flight。
  CHAPTER　XXIII。
  TERNATE　TO　THE　KAIOA　ISLANDS　AND　BATCHIAN。
  （OCTOBER　1858。）
  ON　returning　to　Ternate　from　Sahoe；　I　at　once　began　　making　preparations　for　a　journey　to　Batchian；　an　island　which　I　had　been　constantly　recommended　to　visit　since　I　had　arrived　in　this　part　of　the　Moluccas。　After　all　was　ready　I　found　that　I　should　have　to　hire　a　boat；　as　no　opportunity　of　obtaining　a　passage　presented　itself。　I　accordingly　went　into　the　native　town；　and　could　only　find　two　boats　for　hire；　one　much　larger　than　I　required；　and　the　other　far　smaller　than　I　wished。　I　chose　the　smaller　one；　chiefly　because　it　would　not　cost　me　one…third　as　much　as　the　larger　one；　and　also　because　in　a　coasting　voyage　a　small　vessel　can　be　more　easily　managed；　and　more　readily　got　into　a　place　of　safety　during　violent　gales；　than　a　large　one。　I　took　with　me　my　Bornean　lad　Ali；　who　was　now　very　useful　to　me；　Lahagi；　a　native　of　Ternate；　a　very　good　steady　man；　and　a　fair　shooter；　who　had　been　with　me　to　New　Guinea；　Lahi；　a　native　of　Gilolo；　who　could　speak　Malay；　as　woodcutter　and　general　assistant；　and　Garo；　a　boy　who　was　to　act　as　cook。　As　the　boat　was　so　small　that　we　had　hardly　room　to　stow　ourselves　away　when　all　my　stores　were　on　board；　I　only　took　one　other　man　named　Latchi；　as　pilot。　He　was　a　Papuan　slave；　a　tall；　strong　black　fellow；　but　very　civil　and　careful。　The　boat　I　had　hired　from　a　Chinaman　named　Lau　Keng　Tong；　for　five　guilders　a　month。
  We　started　on　the　morning　of　October　9th；　but　had　not　got　a　hundred　yards　from　land；　when　a　strong　head　wind　sprung　up；　against　which　we　could　not　row；　so　we　crept　along　shore　to　below　the　town；　and　waited　till　the　turn　of　the　tide　should　enable　us　to　cross　over　to　the　coast　of　Tidore。　About　three　in　the　afternoon　we　got　off；　and　found　that　our　boat　sailed　well；　and　would　keep　pretty　close　to　the　wind。　We　got　on　a　good　way　before　the　wind　fell　and　we　had　to　take　to　our　oars　again。　We　landed　on　a　nice　sandy　beach　to　cook　our　suppers；　just　as　the　sun　set　behind　the　rugged　volcanic　hills；　to　the　south　of　the　great　cone　of　Tidore；　and　soon　after　beheld　the　planet　Venus　shining　in　the　twilight　with　the　brilliancy　of　a　new　moon；　and　casting　a　very　distinct　shadow。　We　left　again　a　little　before　seven；　and　as　we　got　out　from　the　shadow　of　the　mountain　I　observed　a　bright　light　over　one　part　of　the　edge；　and　soon　after；　what　seemed　a　fire　of　remarkable　whiteness　on　the　very　summit　of　the　hill。　I　called　the　attention　of　my　men　to　it；　and　they　too　thought　it　merely　a　fire；　but　a　few　minutes　afterwards；　as　we　got　farther　off　shore；　the　light　rose　clear　up　above　the　ridge　of　the　hill；　and　some　faint　clouds　clearing　away　from　it；　discovered　the　magnificent　comet　which　was　at　the　same　time；　astonishing　all　Europe。　The　nucleus　presented　to　the　naked　eye　a　distinct　disc　of　brilliant　white　light；　from　which　the　tail　rose　at　an　angle　of　about　30°　or　35°　with　the　horizon；　curving　slightly　downwards；　and　terminating　in　a　broad　brush　of　faint　light；　the　curvature　of　which　diminished　till　it　was　nearly　straight　at　the　end。　The　portion　of　the　tail　next　the　comet　appeared　three　or　four　tunes　as　bright　as　the　most　luminous　portion　of　the　milky　way；　and　what　struck　me　as　a　singular　feature　was　that　its　upper　margin；　from　the　nucleus　to　very　near　the　extremity；　was　clearly　and　almost　sharply　defined；　while　the　lower　side　gradually　shaded　off　into　obscurity。　Directly　it　rose　above　the　ridge　of　the　hill；　I　said　to　my　men；　〃See；　it's　not　a　fire；　it's　a　bintang　ber…ekor〃　（〃tailed…star；〃　the　Malay　idiom　for　a　comet）。　〃So　it　is；〃　said　they；　and　all　declared　that　they　had　often　heard　tell　of　such；　but　had　never　seen　one　till　now。　I　had　no　telescope　with　me；　nor　any　instrument　at　hand；　but　I　estimated　the　length　of　the　tail　at　about　20°；　and　the　width；　towards　the　extremity；　about　4°　or　5°。
  The　whole　of　the　next　day　we　were　obliged　to　stop　near　the　village　of　Tidore；　owing　to　a　strong　wind　right　in　our　teeth。　The　country　was　all　cultivated；　and　I　in　vain　searched　for　any　insects　worth　capturing。　One　of　my　men　went　out　to　shoot；　but　returned　home　without　a　single　bird。　At　sunset；　the　wind　having　dropped；　we　quitted　Tidore；　and　reached　the　next　island；　March；　where　we　stayed　till　morning。　The　comet　was　again　visible；　but　not　nearly　so　brilliant；　being　partly　obscured　by　clouds；　and　dimmed　by　the　light　of　the　new　moon。　We　then　rowed　across　to　the　island　of　Motir；　which　is　so　surrounded　with　coral…reefs　that　it　is　dangerous　to　approach。　These　are　perfectly　flat；　and　are　only　covered　at　high　water；　ending　in　craggy　vertical　walls　of　coral　in　very　deep　water。　When　there　is　a　little　wind；　it　is　dangerous　to　come　near　these　rocks；　but　luckily　it　was　quite　smooth；　so　we　moored　to　their　edge；　while　the　men　crawled　over　the　reef　to　the　land；　to　make；　a　fire　and　cook　our　dinner…the　boat　having　no　accommodation　for　more　than　heating　water　for　my　morning　and　evening　coffee。　We　then　rowed　along　the　edge　of　the　reef　to　the　end　of　the　island；　and　were　glad　to　get　a　nice　westerly　breeze；　which　carried　us　over　the　strait　to　the　island　of　Makian；　where　we　arrived　about　8　P。M；　The　sky　was　quite　clear；　and　though　the　moon　shone　brightly；　the　comet　appeared　with　quite　as　much　splendour　as　when　we　first　saw　it。
  The　coasts　of　these　small　islands　are　very　different　according　to　their　geological　formation。　The　volcanoes；　active　or　extinct；　have　steep　black　beaches　of　volcanic　sand；　or　are　fringed　with　rugged　masses　of　lava　and　basalt。　Coral　is　generally　absent；　occurring　only　in　small　patches　in　quiet　bays；　and　rarely　or　never　forming　reefs。　Ternate；　Tidore；　and　Makian　belong　to　this　class。　Islands　of　volcanic　origin；　not　themselves　volcanoes；　but　which　have　been　probably　recently　upraised；　are　generally　more　or　less　completely　surrounded　by　fringing　reefs　of　coral；　and　have　beaches　of　shining　white　coral　sand。　Their　coasts　present　volcanic　conglomerates；　basalt；　and　in　some　places　a　foundation　of　stratified　rocks；　with　patches　of　upraised　coral。　Mareh　and　Motir　are　of　this　character；　the　outline　of　the　latter　giving　it　the　appearance　of　having　been　a　true　volcano；　and　it　is　said　by　Forrest　to　have　thrown　out　stones　in　l778。　The　next　day　（Oct。　12th）；　we　coasted　along　the　island　of　Makian；　which　consists　of　a　single　grand　volcano。　It　was　now　quiescent；　but　about　two　centuries　ago　（in　1646）　there　was　a　terrible　eruption；　which　blew　up　the　whole　top　of　the　mountain；　leaving　the　truncated　jagged　summit　and　vast　gloomy　crater　valley　which　at　this　time　distinguished　it。　It　was　said　to　have　been　as　lofty　as　Tidore　before　this　catastrophe。　＇Soon　after　I'　left　the　Archipelago；　on　the　29th　of　December；　1862；　another　eruption　of　this　mountain　suddenly　took　place；　which　caused　great　devastation　in　the　island。　All　the　villages　and　crops　were　destroyed；　and　numbers　of　the　inhabitants　killed。　The　sand　and　ashes　fell　so　thick　that　the　crops　were　partially　destroyed　fifty　miles　off；　at　Ternate；　where　it　was　so　dark　the　following　day　that　lamps　had　to　be　lighted　at　noon。　For　the　position　of　this　and　the　adjacent　islands；　see　the　map　in　Chapter　XXXVII。＇
  I　stayed　some　time　at　a　place　where　I　saw　a　new　clearing　on　a　very　steep　part　of　the　mountain；　and　obtained　a　few　interesting　insects。　In　the　evening　we　went　on　to　the　extreme　southern　point；　to　be　ready　to　pass　across　the　fifteen…mile　strait　to　the　island　of　Kaióa。　At　five　the　next　morning　we　started；　but　the　wind；　which　had　hitherto　been　westerly；　now　got　to　the　south　and　southwest；　and　we　had　to　row　almost　all　the　way　with　a　burning　sun　overhead。　As　we　approached　land　a　fine　breeze　sprang　up；　and　we　went　along　at　a　great　pace；　yet　after　an　hour　we　were　no　nearer；　and　found　we　were　in　a　violent　current　carrying　us　out　to　sea。　At　length　we　overcame　it；　and　got　on　shore　just　as　the　sun　set；　having　been　exactly　thirteen　hours　coming　fifteen　miles。　We　landed　on　a　beach　of　hard　coralline　rock；　with　rugged　cliffs　of　the　same；　resembling　those　of　the　Ke　Islands　（Chap。　XXIX。）　It　was　accompanied　by　a　brilliancy　and　luxuriance　of　the　vegetation；　very　like　what　I　had　observed　at　those　islands；　which　so　much　pleased　me　that　I　resolved　to　stay　a　few　days　at　the　chief　village；　and　see　if　their　animal　productions　were　correspondingly　interesting。　While　searching　for　a　secure　anchorage　for　the　night　we　again　saw　the　comet；　still　apparently　as　brilliant　as　at　first；　but　the　tail　had　now　risen　to　a　higher　angle。
  October　14th。All　this　day