Fine Birds. 461 



Xew and interesting birds were continually brought in, 

 either by my OAvn boys or by the natives, and at the end of a 

 week Ali arrived triumphant one afternoon with a fine si^eci- 

 men of the Great Bird of Paradise. The ornamental plumes 

 had not yet attained their full growth, but the richness of their 

 glossy orange coloring, and the exquisite delicacy of the loose- 

 ly-waving feathers, were unsurpassable. At the same time a 

 great black cockatoo was brought in, as well as a fine fruit- 

 pigeon and several small birds, so that we were all kept hard 

 at work skinning till sunset. Just as we had cleared away 

 and packed up for the night, a strange beast was brought, 

 which had been shot by the natives. It resembled in size, and 

 in its white woolly covering, a small fat lamb, but had short legs, 

 hand-like feet with large claws, and a long prehensile tail. It 

 was a Cuscus (C. maculatus), one of the curious marsupial 

 animals of the Papuan region, and I was very desirous to ob- 

 tain the skin. The owners, however, said they wanted to eat 

 it ; and though I offered them a good price, and promised to 

 give them all the meat, there was great hesitation. Suspect- 

 ing the reason, I offered, though it was night, to set to work 

 immediately and get out the body for them, to which they 

 agreed. The creature Avas much hacked about, and the two 

 hind feet almost cut off, but it was the largest and finest speci- 

 men of the kind I had seen ; and after an hour's hard work I 

 handed over the body to the owners, who immediately cut it 

 up and roasted it for supper. 



As this was a very good place for birds, I determined to 

 remain a month longer, and took the opportunity of a native 

 boat going to Dobbo to send AH for a fresh supply of ammu- 

 nition and provisions. They started on the 10th of April, and 

 the house was crowded with about a hundred men, boys, wom- 

 en, and girls, bringing their loads of sugar-cane, plantains, sirih- 

 leaf, yams, etc. ; one lad going from each house to sell the prod- 

 uce and make purchases. The noise was indescribable. At least 

 fifty of the hundred were always talking at once, and that not 

 in the low measured tones of the apathetically polite Malay, 

 but with loud voices, shouts, and screaming laughter, in which 

 the women and. children were even more conspicuous than the 

 men. It was only Avhile gazing at me that their tongues were 

 moderately quiet, because their eyes were fully occupied. The 



