THE REASON WHY: 



" Resplendent wanderer ! followed with glad eyes . 

 Where'er her course ; mysterious bird, 

 To whom, by wandering fancy stirred, 

 Eastern islanders have given 

 A holy name the Bird of Heaven." WORDWORTH. 



and remarkable for the beauty and gloss of their plumage, were 

 supposed to whisk about like bright meteors in the equinoctial sun, 

 without the usual attributes of wings or feet ; and were also believed 

 to dwell in the air, and live upon the nectar of those flowers which, 

 in the climates where the birds are native, twine in garlands and 

 festoons at the topmost branches of the trees. 



766. Why were the birds of Paradise said by the older 

 naturalists to be without legs, and to remain always suspended 

 in the, air ? 



These beautiful creatures 

 frequenting only the neigh- 

 bourhood of the tropics, had, 

 until a comparatively recent 

 date, never been caught and 

 examined. The accounts of 

 them, therefore, were like 

 many "travellers' tales," 

 much exaggerated. This is 

 partly excused and accounted 

 for by the extreme beauty 

 of their plumage and 

 motions. 



It is certain that the birds of Paradise have legs, and these botn 

 large and strong ; but their flight is rapid and continuous : they are 

 the swallows of the tropics ; are seldom seen to alight ; and, while 

 pursuing the insects upon which they feed, go through a vast 

 number of the most beautiful evolutions. 



767. These birds do not bear much resemblance to an ordinary bird, at least in 

 any part except the bill, head, neck, and shoulders, for the rest of the body is hidden 

 by supplemental feathers issuing from the flanks, the shoulders, or both, which 



