564 NATURAL HISTORY 



seen from the skins brought to Europe. Even as late as 1760, when 

 Linnseus described the large bird of Paradise, not a perfect skin had been 

 seen in Europe ; and that father of Natural History called this species 

 Paradisea apoda — the footless paradise-bird. 



The birds of paradise are of moderate size, and in structure and habits 

 they are much like the crows and starlings ; but they are characterized by 

 extraordinary developments of plumage unequalled in any other group of 

 birds. In some species large tufts of delicate bright-colored feathers spring 

 from each side of the body, beneath the wings, forming trains, fans, or 

 shields ; and the middle feathers of the tail are often elongated into wires, 

 twisted into fantastic shapes, or adorned with the most brilliant metallic 

 tints. In another set of species these accessory plumes spring from the 

 head, the back, or the shoulders ; while the intensity of color and of 

 metallic lustre displayed by their plumage is not to be equalled by any 

 other birds, excejDt perhaps by the humming-birds, and is not surpassed 

 even by these. 



Our plate shows three species of paradise-birds. At the top is the great 

 bird of paradise, the best-known species. It is a large form, and the male 

 alone is thus splendidly ornamented. In the Aru Islands it is very active 

 and vigorous. At one season of the year they have their 'dancing-parties' 

 in certain trees of the forest. A dozen or twenty full-fledged males will 

 congregate. The bird is about the size of a crow, and of a rich coffee- 

 brown. The head and neck are a pure straw-yellow above, and metallic 

 green beneath. At these times of excitement the wings are raised verti- 

 cally over the back, the head is bent down and stretched out, and the long 

 plumes are raised up and expanded till they form two magnificent golden 

 fans, striped with deep red at the base, and fading off into the pale brown 

 tint of the finely divided and softly waving points. The whole bird is 

 then overshadowed by them ; the crouching body, yellow head, and 

 emerald-green throat forming but the foundation and setting to the golden 

 glory which waves above. 



At these times the hunters get the birds. They find out what tree the 

 birds have decided upon, and build a little shelter of palm-leaves among 

 the branches. Here before daylight the hunter takes his place, armed 

 with a bow and a number of light blunt-headed arrows. At sunrise the 

 birds begin their dance ; the hunter shoots them with the arrow, and they 

 fall to the ground to be picked up by a boy, without a drop of blood soiling 

 then plumage. To prepare them for the market, the body is skinned, the 

 legs and wings cut off, and the skin, stretched on a stick and enveloped in 

 palm-leaves, is dried in the smoke. Did space permit, we would gladly 

 refer to others of this beautiful group, but we can only direct the reader to 



