44 HABITS OF BIRDS. 



garious birds. Thus the Dominican widow bird 

 (Fringilla Serena, ILLIGER) is at the Cape called the 

 king of the Bengal sparrows (Passer Bengalensis, 

 BRISSON), and of the wax-billed finches (Fringilla 

 vndulata^ PALLAS). Yaillant once observed a few 

 cross-bills (Loxia curvirostra) in the king's garden 

 at Paris, intermingling with other gregarious birds. 

 These being uncommon birds were very likely to 

 attract popular attention, and give rise to the fancy 

 of their being royal birds. He once also observed a 

 field-fare (furdus pilaris), which having strayed 

 from its companions and associated with starlings, 

 was called king of the starlings by the peasants of 

 Sezaune, in La Brie*. It is in this way that 

 M. Vaillant accounts for the origin of the name of 

 the king-bird of Paradise (Paradisea regia), of 

 which so many legends are current in the islands of 

 Arrou in the Eastern Archipelago, where these birds 

 are indigenous. It is averred, for example, that the 

 two principal species of Paradise birds (P. Apvda 

 and P. Magnifica ?) have each their leader, whose 

 imperial mandates are received with submissive 

 obedience by a numerous train of subjects ; and that 

 his majesty always flies above the flock to issue his 

 orders for inspecting arid tasting the springs of water 

 where they may drink with safety t, the Indians 

 being in the practice of taking whole flocks of birds 

 by poisoning the water where they resort to drink. 

 M. Vaillant's explanation accords with the account 

 given by M. Sonnerat of the manners of the king- 

 bird of Paradise ; for, being a solitary bird, going 

 from bush to bush in search of the berries upon 

 which it feeds J, it may occasionally be seen near the 



* Oiseaux de Paradis, Art. Manucode. 



f Valentyn, Beschr. Van Oude, iii. ed. 1724. 



$ Voyage a la Nouv. Guinee, p. 156. 



