28 BEAUTIFUL BIRDS 
their heads turned towards the sun, why, shat does 
not seem possible. Nobody could have believed in 
a thing like that, but ere is a natural explanation. 
But now you must not think that the Birds of 
Paradise which are in the world to-day, are the very 
same ones that used to live in Paradise, and that had 
their feathers scorched. Oh no, you must not think 
that. Those old Birds of Paradise died Gorver 
course, as soon as they came to earth they became 
mortal, they had been immortal before), but before _ . 
they died they had laid a great many eggs, and 
reared a great many young ones, and these young 
ones, as soon as they were grown up, laid other eggs, 
and the birds that came out of those eggs laid others, 
and so it has been going on for hundreds of thou- 
sands of years, right up to now. And xow, if you 
were to ask a Bird of Paradise where it was he used 
to live, and why he had lost his voice and got his 
feathers scorched, he would not know one bit what 
you were talking about. In hundreds of thousands 
of years a great many things are forgotten, and the 
Birds of Paradise of to-day are quite happy. The 
earth is quite good enough for them, and if they 
were not shot and put into hats for the women with 
the frozen hearts to wear, they would have nothing 
to complain of. They have something to complain 
of now, but you must remember your promise, 
