CHAPTER IV 
The Red Bird of Paradise 
THEN there is another very beautiful Bird of 
Paradise which is called the Red Bird of Paradise. 
It is no use trying to find out whether he or the 
one I have just been telling you about is the most 
beautiful, because if somebody were to think that one 
were, somebody else would be sure to have a different 
opinion. But now I will tell you what this Red Bird 
of Paradise is like, and then you will know how beau- 
tiful to think him. You know those lovely plumes 
that I told you about, that the Great Bird of Para- 
dise has growing from both his sides, under the 
wings, and how he lifts up his wings and shoots them 
right up into the air, so that they fall all over him, 
like two most beautiful fountains that meet in the air 
and mingle their waters together. Now the Red Bird of 
Paradise has those plumes—those feather-fountains— 
too, and he can shoot them up into the air and let 
them fall all over him, and look out from amongst 
them as they bend and wave, and think ‘‘ How lovely 
56 
