34 BEAUTIFUL BIRDS 
of it, all over those great, wide, far-stretching 
forests, forests stretching away like the sea, and 
only bounded by the sea! Think of all the millions 
of flowers there must be in them, with all their 
delicate shapes, and rich, fragrant scents and glorious 
colours, and then think of them all growing up 
together, each trying to be the first to see the sun. 
So eager they all are, but so gentle. There is no 
pushing, nothing rude or rough. But as the leaves 
grow thinner, and the light shines more and more 
through them, they tremble and sigh with joy, and 
one says to another, “We are getting nearer— 
nearer. I can see him almost; we shall scon abe 
bathed in his light.” And so they all grow and 
grow till at last they gleam softly through the soft 
leaves, and see the beautiful deep blue sky and the 
glorious, golden sun. Yes, that is a lovely race 
indeed—as anything to do with flowers is lovely— 
and it is a race upwards, to the sky and to the 
sun. Not all races are of that kind. 
It is in forests like those that the Birds of Paradise 
live; and now that we know something about where 
they live, we will find out something about them. 
