PARADISEID.E. 211 



creatures seems to be Papua, or New Guinea, from whence 

 they make occasional excursions to the neighbouring 

 islands. They fly in flocks of about thirty or forty, under 

 the guidance of a single bird, which the natives call their 

 chief. They appear habitually to prefer the most dense 

 and secluded parts of the forests, where, when the sky is 

 clear, they perch ujion the tops of the highest trees. They 

 fly with rapidity, but with an undulating motion, as is 

 usual wdth birds adorned with long plumage, and always 

 against the wind, a position which keeps their long 

 plumes laid flat to their body ; for it is evident that, did 

 they fly m any other du-ection, the wind, by blowing their 

 j^lumage about, would materially interfere with the free 

 play of their wings. When flying, they make a noise 

 like Starlings, but their common cry rather resembles that 

 of a Haven, and is very audible in windy weather, when 

 they dread the chance of being blown to the gi-ound. In 

 the Aru islands they are captured by the natives in 

 various ways, — with birdlune, snails, and blunted arrows. 

 Though many are taken alive, they are always immedi- 

 ately killed, embowelled, and their feet cut off : the 

 plumed skins, fumigated with sulphur, are then dried for 

 sale. They are said to feed on fruits and berries, and 

 Linnaeus says they devour the larger butterflies. 



