VI. 

 THE KING BIRD OF PAEADISE. 



[LOSE by New Guinea, at a little distance 

 to the south, lie a group of islands called 

 the Aru Islands. We seem here to have 

 left the civilized world behind ; and we 

 should not have ventured to so remote a spot but 

 for the beautiful birds we shall find in its deep, 

 dark forests, forests not yet explored, and with 

 scarce any of their treasures brought to light. 



What is that lovely creature which is flying 

 from branch to branch ? The place where we 

 stand is not the dense part of the forest. The 

 trees here are a moderate size, and the ground is 

 more open. The bird is devouring the fruit of 



