A PAPUAN HOUSE. 257 



in cat and dog, and the manners and expres- 

 sion of this family would be a study of ab- 

 sorbing interest. 



Not to mention the birds already familiar 

 in books, there are a few interesting pecu- 

 liarities of some of the late discoveries, and 

 the possible varieties are by no means ex- 

 hausted, so that each new traveler who pene- 

 trates into their chosen home will doubtless' 

 have opportunity to see his own name Latin- 

 ized into dignity and bestowed upon some bril- 

 liant and hitherto unknown bird, having a new 

 disposition of plumage, or a color more beau- 

 tiful — if conceivable — than any before. One 

 of the most attractive of the recent additions 

 to the list was made by Signor D'Albertis, 

 and named for him Drepanoris Albertisi. In 

 a letter to a Sydney newspaper he tells the 

 story of the discovery, which occurred while he 

 was living in a Papuan mansion built upon 

 the trunks of trees, and reached by means of 

 a long ladder. From this unique residence 

 he made excursions into the mountains, and, 

 among other things, had the good fortune to 

 see two curious episodes in the life of the Six- 

 shafted Bird of Paradise. He found this bird 

 — which is not new to science — to be a noisy 

 and solitary fellow, roaming the thick woods 

 alone, dining upon figs and other fruits, and 



