I trembled with excitement as I saw it coming majestically towards me, and could hardly believe I had really succeeded in my stroke till I had taken it out of the net and was gazing, lost in admiration, at the velvet black and brilliant green of its wings, seven inches across, its bolder body, and crimson breast.

It is true I had seen similar insects in cabinets at home, but it is quite another thing to capture such oneself-to feel it struggling between one's fingers, and to gaze upon its fresh and living beauty, a bright gem shirring out amid the silent gloom of a dark and tangled forest.

The village of Dobbo held that evening at least one contented man.
Jan.

26th .-- Having now been here a fortnight, I began to understand a little of the place and its peculiarities.

Praus continually arrived, and the merchant population increased almost daily.