CHAPTER “Il 
The Great Bird of Paradise 
THE Great Bird of Paradise lives in the middle 
of the great island called New Guinea, and all over 
some quite little islands close to it which are called 
the Aru Islands. He is the largest of the Birds 
of Paradise, and perhaps he is the most beautiful, 
but it is not so easy to be sure about shat. How- 
ever, we shall see what you think of him. His 
body and wings and tail are brown. ‘‘ What, only 
brown?” youcry. ‘That is like a sparrow.” Ah, 
but wait. It is not guze like a sparrow. It is a 
beautiful, rich, coffee-brown, and on the breast it 
deepens into a most lovely, dark, purple-violet brown. 
There! That is different to being just brown like 
a sparrow, is it not? ‘Then the head and neck are 
yellow, not a common yellow, but a very pretty, 
light, delicate yellow, like straw. Sometimes ladies 
have hair of that colour, and when they have, then 
people look at them and say, “What beautiful 
hair!” which is just what they themselves say, 
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