LITTLE BIRD OF PARADISE. 149 



Habits Description. 



LITTLE BIRD OF PARADISE. 



THIS little bird has been represented as a va- 

 riety of the great bird of Paradise, there being 

 but a very small difference between the two ; yet 

 there is every reason to presume that they are 

 distinct species. The principal foundation for 

 this opinion is the difference of their manners 

 and habits ; this bird existing only in the islands 

 of the Papous, which extend from the southern 

 extremity of Gilolo, and the northern point of 

 Ceram, to the western extremity of New Guinea; 

 whereas the other lives only in New Guinea and 

 the islands of Arou. Besides, the little bird of 

 Paradise never leaves its native island, and we 

 have seen that the common one annually migrates 

 at stated periods. This dissimilarity in their 

 manner of life argues against the identity of the 

 species, notwithstanding they resemble each other 

 in form and colour, except in size, this bird being 

 scarcely twenty inches, while that of the great 

 bird of Paradise is usually two feet four inches. 

 The bill is of a lead-colour, palest at the point : 

 the eyes are small, and the neck, which is sur- 

 rounded with a black ring, is of an emerald green. 

 The head and the upper part of the neck are of 

 a dusky yellow, the breast and belly dark brown, 

 the wings short, and of a chesnut colour; the 

 feathers proceeding from beneath the wings, are 

 about a foot long, of a paler hue than the same 



