38 BEAUTIFUL BIRDS 
behind as the bird flies, for they are twice as long as 
its whole body, so, of course, the two plumes come 
together and make one lovely large one that lies as 
softly on the air as the feather of a swan does on the 
water. The body, then, is almost covered up in all 
these soft feathers, so that it is just like looking at 
a flying plume with wings and a head to it. 
Yes, they look lovely enough then, these glorious 
plumes; but sometimes they look lovelier still, and 
that is when the Great Bird of Paradise raises them 
both up above its back so that they shoot into the air 
like two golden feather-fountains that mingle together 
and bend over and fall in spray all around, only it isa 
spray of feathers—not a real spray—and, instead of 
falling, they only wave and dance. Such a glorious, 
plumy cascade! The bird himself is almost hidden 
in his own shower-bath, but the emerald throat and 
the yellow-plush head look out of it and gleam like 
jewels as he peeps and peers about from side to side 
to see if any one is looking at him. For, of course, 
the Great Bird of Paradise does not make himself so 
very beautiful just for nothing. When he shoots up 
his feather-fountains and sits in a soft, silky shower- 
bath, he does it to be looked at, and the person he 
wants to look at him most is the hen Great Bird of 
Paradise, for—do you know and can you believe it ? 
—the poor hen Great Bird of Paradise is zot beautiful, 
