30 THE RED BIRD OF PARADISE. 



The Bird of Paradise, with his golden plumage, 

 has many relations. Some of these have never 

 been beheld by Europeans. For ages, successive 

 generations of them have sported in the depths of 

 the forest, and gladdened no human eye. 



The bird in the picture has plumes of a rich 

 crimson, tipped with white, and more gorgeous 

 than you can imagine. His throat is of a rich 

 green, and he has a little tuft of green feathers 

 on his forehead. The most curious ornaments 

 he possesses are two long, stiff quills, something 

 like whalebone, that hang down with a graceful 

 curve. When the poor bird is dead and lies 

 upon his back, these quills form themselves into 

 a circle and meet at his neck.. 



The hen-bird does not possess the gay colours 

 or the flowing plumes of her mate. She is a plain- 

 looking bird, and does not attract any attention. 

 Nor did the various charms of the male bird 

 appear at once. When he was young, his' long 

 quills were mere short feathers, and gave no pro- 

 mise of what they would afterwards become. 

 And it was only by degrees that the lovely 



