BIRDS OF PARADISE. 



^05 



The true residence and breeding-place of these beautiful c; catures seems to 

 be Papua or New Guinea, from whence they make occasional excursions to 

 the neighbouring islands. They fly in flocks of about thirty or forty, under the 

 guidance of a single bird, which the natives call their chief They appear ha- 

 bitually to prefer the most dense and secluded parts of the forests, where, when 

 the sky is clear, they perch upon the tops of the highest trees. They fly with 

 rapidity, but with an undulating motion, as is usual with birds adorned with 

 long plumage, and always against the wind, a position which keeps their long 





FiG. 8;.— Birds of Paradisr {Paradisea apoda ^wA P. snpcrba). 



plumes laid flat to their body ; for it is evident that, did they fly in any other 

 direction, the wind, by blowing their plumage about, would materially interfere 

 with the free play of their wings. When flying, they make a noise like starlings, 

 but their common cry rather resembles that of a raven, and is very audible in 

 windy weather, when they dread the chance of being blown to the ground. In 

 the Aru islands they are captured by the natives in various ways, — with bird- 

 lime, snares, and blunted arrows. Though many are taken alive, they are 

 always immediately killed, embowelled, and their feet cut off: the plumed 

 skins, fumigated with sulphur, are then dried for sale. They are said to feed 

 on fruits and berries, and Linnitus says they devour the larger butterflies. 

 The sounds uttered by this bird are very peculiar : that which appears to be 



