had apparently been the
crater of a volcano--so my uncle thought. The sides of the higher lake
were nearly three hundred feet high, we calculated, and covered in most
places with trees and shrubs. A beach or broad ledge extended round one
side as far as the further gap, on which we hoped we should have ample
space for walking and viewing the wonders of the lake. Our ambition was
now to reach the water, and we looked about on every side to discover
some practicable path by which we might gain it. After hunting about,
we found a way down the side of the mountain by which we hoped we could
accomplish our object.

The jungle through which we had to force our way, however, was
wonderfully thorny. The creepers were thorny, even the bamboos were
thorny, while shrubs grew in a zig-zag and jagged fashion, forming an
inextricable tangle, through which it was difficult to cut our way.
Beautiful birds flitted in and out among the shrubs--grass-green doves,
large black cockatoos, golden orioles, and king-crows--their varied and
brilliant colours flashing brightly as they darted forth here and there
in the sunlight from out of the dark shade. The most beautiful,
perhaps, were the golden orioles, which my uncle afterwards told me are
often classed with the birds of paradise, and are sometimes placed in
the same genus as the regent bird of Australia. These, however, might
not have been the true golden oriole, because that bird is very rare,
and is an inhabitant of the mainland of New Guinea, though also found on
the island of Salwatty. We observed their nests cleverly suspended
between the horizontal forks of the outer branches of lofty trees, where
they are not likely to be reached by the larger serpents which prey on
birds. The paradise oriole has the throat, tail, and part of the wings
and back of a jet-black hue, but the rest of the body is of a brilliant
yellow colour, with the exception of the neck, which is covered by long
feathers of a deep orange, reaching some way down the back, somewhat as
do the hackles of a game-cock. The birds we now saw, though not exactly
like those I have mentioned, were still very beautiful, and I believe
rare. I cannot, however, attempt to describe but faintly the lovely
birds and insects we met with in our expedition.

Just then even our uncle could pay but little attention to them, for we
all had to use our axes with untiring energy before we could make any
progress. At length, howeve