166 BEAU TIFUE’ BIRDS 
different parts that join each other. Only, of course, 
you would have to go in the right direction, which 
would be, first, through the forests of British Guiana, 
then along the banks of the great river Amazon— 
which is the largest river in the world—then up the 
mountains of Peru, and then, still higher, up those of 
Ecuador. Or, you might start from Ecuador and go 
all the way to British Guiana. If you get an atlas 
and look for the map of South America, your mother 
will soon show you where all these places are. 
Now after what you know about the Humming- 
birds and the Birds of Paradise, you will not be 
surprised to hear that this brilliant crimson or 
orange-coloured bird has quite a sober-coloured 
wife, and that he is as careful to please her, as they 
are, by showing her his beautiful bright plumage in 
all the ways in which it looks best; in fact he is so 
very careful about it that I feel quite sure he pleases 
himself by doing so, at the same time. You know 
now that male birds dance, when they show their 
fine feathers to their wives and sweethearts, for I 
have told you about the ‘“‘sdcalelis”” of the Great 
Bird of Paradise, and the way in which those other 
Birds of Paradise danced whilst the two travellers 
were watching them. But some birds have still 
more wonderful dances ‘than these ; at least they 
behave in a way that is even more like real dancing. 
