THE RED BIRD OF PARADISE. 



My home is on an island 

 where it is very warm. I fly 

 among the tall trees and eat 

 fruit and insects. 



See my beautiful feathers. 

 The ladies like to wear them in 

 their hats. 



The feathers of my wife are 

 brown, but she has no long tail 

 feathers. 



My wife thinks my plumes 

 are very beautiful. 



When we have a party, we go 

 with our wives to a tall tree. 

 We spread our beautiful plumes 

 while our wives sit and watch 

 us. 



Sometimes a man finds our 

 tree and builds a hut among the 

 lower branches. 



He hides in the hut and while 

 we are spreading our feathers 

 shoots at us. 



The arrows are not sharp. 

 They do not draw blood. 



When they dry the skins they 

 take off the feet and wings. 

 This is why people used to think 

 we had neither feet nor wings. 



They also thought we lived 

 on the dews of heaven and the 

 honey of flowers. This is why 

 we are called the Birds of 

 Paradise. 



" Upon its waving feathers poised in air, 

 Feathers, or rather clouds of golden down, 

 With streamers thrown luxuriantly out 

 In all the wantonness of winged wealth." 



22 



