The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-06-09
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as various wild animals, reptiles, fish,
mollusks and insects. Cannibalism,
though not universal, prevails in a
great many districts. The native girls
make great pets Of the young pigs,
and, like alice In Wonderland" may
be seen carrying them about in their
arms and caressing them! The bow
and arrow and the club are the wea-
pons most commonly used, while
spears, tipped with hardened bamboo
or bone, and knives and axes made of
jade, are met with and highly priced
by collectors Of chronological objects.
AS a people their artistic skill is very
considerable. This is shown in their
wooden images, designed as earthly
habitations for the ghosts of the de-
parted, likewise in the carved head
rests and figure-heads of praus, which
are generally executed with iron tools.
Their religion consists mainly of
saint-worship, and their feasts, which
are held on such occasions as mar
riages and burials, are celebrated
with singing and dancing. Chiefs are
unknown, each community of people
living by itself, and in a state of per-
petual warfare with it's neighbors,
having different dialect, facts which
have rendered European administra-
tion extremely difficult.
Kingfishers, parrots and pigeons of
most brilliant plumage are very nu-
merously represented in New Guinea,
and in their way are almost as stri-
king and remarkable as the birds of
paradise. Among the birds Of prey
the most remarkable known species Is
the harpy-goshawk (Harpyopsis),
which is, perhaps, most nearly allied
to the great monkey-eating eagle
(Pithecophaga) of the Philippines and
to the harpy-eagles of America. There
is probably also another very large
eagle which up to the present time
has not been obtained. Cassowaries,
brush-turkeys and megapodes are well
represented, and among the small
birds we have sun-birds, fower-peck-
ers, honey-eaters and f1y-catchers, as
we'll as many more too numerous to
mention, large number belonging to
peculiar genera and species. 1t Is
difficult to forecast what new species
of birds may yet be forthcoming, but
we may safely assume that many nov.
elites will be obtained. The same
may be said about the reptiles, in
which the fauna of New Guinea is par.
ticularly rich. The chelonians, or tor
toises, and turtles are the most in
teresting group from the mingling OF
Asiatic, American and Australian
types, and for the discovery In the
Fly river, some rs years ago, of q
huge fresh-water turtle (Carettoche
lys insculpta), which proves to be the
type of a distinct family. More re
Gently, snapping-turtle, allied tt
Chelydra, has been found in the same
river and described as Devisia myth
odes. The family Chelydridae, OF
family snapping-turtles, is otherwise
confined to North and tropical Amer
ica. The lizards are essential orien
tai; a Wallace's line does not exis
for these reptiles. The genera are
most widely distributed, but allusior
may be made to the curious scincoid
Tribolonotus, with its large spiny
bony shields, and to the remarkable
crested Agamas, Gonyocephalus. Tree
monitors (Varanus), green or black
are also characteristic of the Papuar
fauna. Snakes are represented b.
members of the boa and pythor
groups, harmless colubrids, poisonous
colubrids-allied to the cobras ant
very similar to their Australian al
lies-highly poisonous colubrids-
forming the great bulk of the Austria
lian snake-fauna-and burrowing blinC
snakes (Typhlops). Batrachians be
long to the families of true frog
(Ranidae), tree frogs (Hylidae) an,
toad-frogs (Engystomatidae)
w. r. OGILVIE-GRANT.
The cherry is the most neglected O
| all orchard fruits.