THE PIE KIND. 121 



that depends like a pouch from the point of the branch . the hole to 

 enter at, is on the side ; and all the interior parts are lined with the 

 finer fibres of the same substance, which compose the whole. Such 

 is the general contrivance of these hanging nests, which are made 

 by some other birds with still superior art. A little bird of the Gros- 

 beak kind, in the Philippine islands makes its nest in such a manner 

 that there is no opening but from the bottom. At the bottom the 

 bird enters, and goes up through a funnel like a chimney, till it 

 comes to the real door of the nest, which lies on one side, and only 

 opens into this funnel. 



Some birds glue their nest to the leaf of the banana-tree, which 

 makes two sides of their little habitation, while the other two are ar- 

 tificially composed by their own industry. But these, and all of the 

 kind, are built with the same precautions to guard the young against 

 the depredations of monkeys and serpents, which abound in eveiy 

 tree. The nest hangs there, before the spoilers, a tempting object, 

 which they can only gaze upon, while the bird flies in and out, with- 

 out danger or molestation from so formidable a vicinity 



CHAPTER V. 



OF THE BIRD OF PARADISE AND ITS VARIETIES. 



THERE are few birds that have more deceived and puzzled the 

 learned than this. Some have described it as an inhabitant of the air, 

 living only upon the dew of heaven, and never resting below; others 

 have acquiesced in the latter part of its history, but have given it fly- 

 ing insects to feed on. Some have asserted that it was without feet 

 and others have ranked it among the birds of prey. 



The great beauty of this bird's plumage, and the deformity of its 

 legs, seem to have given rise to most of these erroneous reports. 

 The native savages of the Molucca Islands, of which it is an inhabi- 

 tant, were very little studious of natural history ; and perceiving the 

 inclination the Europeans had for this beautiful bird, carefully cut off 

 its legs before they brought it to market ; thus concealing its greatest 

 deformity, they considered themselves entitled to rise in their demands 

 when they offered it for sale. One deceit led on another ; the buyer 

 finding the bird without legs, naturally inquired after them ; and the 

 seller as naturally began to assert that it had none. Thus far the 

 European was imposed upon by others ; in all the rest he imposed 

 upon himself. Seeing so beautiful a bird without legs, he concluded 

 that it could live only in air, where legs were unnecessary. The ex- 

 traordinary splendour of its plumage assisted this deception, and an 

 it had heavenly beauty, so it was asserted to have a heavenly resi- 

 dence. From thence its name, and all the false reports that have 

 been propagated concerning it. 



