WHERE TO FIND THE BIRDS OF PARADISE. 19 



inop-like hair, and tries hard to prevent its get- 

 ting tangled. He keeps a comb made of bamboo, 

 with long teeth like the prongs of a fork, always 

 ready for use. And if he has a few minutes to 

 spare, he busies himself in combing his frizzly 

 locks. His house is quite a curiosity, but we 

 should not like to live in it. 



In some of the villages by the sea-coast, the 

 houses stand in the water ; and you must go to 

 them by means of a bridge. The roof is like a 

 boat turned wrong side upwards ; and the house 

 itself stands on poles to raise it above the water. 



Should you like to know a little more, about 

 these strange-looking houses ? The floor is very 

 uneven, and often has great holes in it. It is 

 made of rubbish such as sticks and leaves and 

 old boards put rudely together. You can 

 hardly walk over this rough floor ; and a child 

 might easily slip through one of the holes. 



The very poles on which the house rests often 

 lean as if they would fall ; and, worse than this, if 

 you looked up, you would see a row of human 

 skulls hanging under the eaves. They are the 



