192 cook's VOYAGE TO JAN. 



very reason assigned by the people of Atooi for the 

 like practice, which was, that they hereby can pre- 

 serve them with greater ease, without losing any part 

 which they reckon valuable. The red-bird of our 

 island was judged by Mr. Anderson to be a species 

 of merops, about the size of a sparrow, of a beautiful 

 scarlet colour, with a black tail and wings, and an 

 arched bill twice the length of the head, which, with 

 the feet, was also of a reddish colour. The contents 

 of the heads were taken out, as in the birds of para- 

 dise ; but it did not appear that they used any other 

 method to preserve them than by simple drying, for 

 the skins, though moist, had neither a taste nor smell 

 that could give room to suspect the use of anti-putre- 

 scent substances.* 



* It is a matter of real curiosity to observe how very exten- 

 sively the predilection for red feathers is spread throughout all 

 the islands of the Pacific Ocean : and the additional circumstance 

 mentioned in this paragraph will probably be looked upon, by 

 those who amuse themselves in tracing the wonderful migrations of 

 the same family or tribe, as a confirmation of that hypothesis 

 (built, indeed, on other instances of resemblance), which con- 

 siders New Guinea, and its neighbouring East India islands, from 

 whence the Dutch bring their birds of paradise, as originally 

 peopled by the same race, which Captain Cook found at every 

 island from New Zealand to this new group, to which Atooi 

 belongs. 



What Mr. Sonnerat tells us about the bird of paradise, agrees 

 perfectly with the account here given of .the preserved red-birds. 

 Speaking of the Papous, he proceeds thus: "lis nous presenterent 

 plusieurs especes d'oiseaux, aussi elegants par leur forme, que 

 brillants par le eclat de leur couleurs. La depouille des oiseaux, 

 sert a la parure des Chefs, qui la portent attachee aleurs bonnets 

 en forme d'aigrettes. Mais en preparant les peaux, ils coupent 

 les pieds. Les Hollandois, qui trafiquent sur ces cotes, y 

 achetent de ces peaux ainsi prdpares, les transportent en Perse, 

 u a Surate, dans leslndes, oil ils les vendent fort chere aux habitans 

 " riches, qui en font des aigrettes pour leurs turbans, et pour le 

 " casque des guerriers, et qui en parent leur chevaux. C'est de 

 " la qu'est venue l'opinion, qu'une de ces especes d'oiseaux (1'oiseau 

 " de paradis) ria point de pattes. Les Hollandois ont accr^dite* 

 " ces fables, qui, en jetant du merveilleux sur l'objet dont ils 

 " traffiquoient, etoient propres a le rendre plus precieux, et a en 

 " rechausser lavaleur." Voyage a la Nouvelle Guinec y p. 154-. 



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