A BARE-HEADED BIRD. 261 



of this species, and a droll proceeding followed. 

 After flying several times around his head to 

 see what sort of a creature he might be, she 

 alighted on a vine, and turning heels over head, 

 remained hanging head down, sharply scruti- 

 nizing his appearance from this point of view 

 till he shot her. 



A bare-headed bird would not seem to pre- 

 sent any attraction to the lover of beauty, 

 though it might be of scientific interest ; but 

 Nature, not having exhausted her resources 

 upon the Birds of Paradise already mentioned, 

 has even accomplished the feat of making a 

 bald-headed beauty. The bare skin on the 

 whole crown is of a brilliant blue color most 

 oddly crossed by narrow rows of minute feath- 

 ers, which irresistibly remind one of the sutures 

 of the human skull. That color shall not be 

 lacking, it bears, besides the blue of the head, 

 black, straw color, bright red, and green ; and 

 is further adorned with two very long central 

 tail feathers, which reach far beyond the rest 

 of the tail, and return, making a complete cir- 

 cle ; a rare and lovely ornament. A good spec- 

 imen is among the later arrivals at the Ameri^ 

 can Museum. 



The Manucodia are the curly Birds of Para- 

 dise, and our knowledge of one of the latest 

 and most novel of them is owing not to the 



