353 



descending to earth all the functions of life, even to the 

 production of their eggs and young. They have justly been 

 said, from the extreme beauty of their plumage, to hold the 

 highest rank among the feathered glories of the creation. 

 They are limited to New Guinea, or as it is frequently called, 

 the country of the Papuas, and some of the adjacent islands 

 of the South Pacific Ocean. The natives of these countries, 

 when preparing and drying the skins, were in the hahit of 

 removing the feet of the bird. The skins in this state were 

 sold to the Malays, carried into India, and thence conveyed 

 into Europe. Here we have the origin of the superstitious 

 ideas with which these birds were formerly associated, arising 

 from the supposed want of legs. The legend has been 

 commemorated by Linnaeus, who applied to the best known 

 species the appellation, "footless;"* and it has been enshrined 

 in the harmonious lines of the poet: 



-- " The footless fowl of heaven that never 

 Eest upon earth, but on the wing for ever, 

 Hovering o'er flowers their fragrant food inhale, 



Drink the descending dew upon its way, 

 And sleep aloft while floating on the gale." 



SOUTHEY'S CURSE OF KEIIAMA. 



Corvidoe. The Starling which has been already noticed, 

 and the Raven, the Magpie, and the Jay, which are members 

 of the present family, possess the power of imitating the 

 human voice in a higher degree of perfection than any other 

 British birds. One example of this has been mentioned in a 

 preceding page (p. 323). 



The Raven labours under the misfortune of being regarded 

 as a bird of ill omen.f High rocks and other places where 

 danger may best be descried are his favourite haunts. His 

 food is various, emmets, reptiles, birds and their eggs, fish and 

 carrion; like other species he is partial to chickens and young 

 ducks; and we were assured on one occasion by a credible 

 witness that he had seen a raven alight among a flock of full- 



Paradisea apoda. 



The Raven himself is hoarse 



That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan 

 Under mv battlements." MACBETH. 



" Oh, it comes o'er my memory, 



As doth the Raven o'er the infected house, 

 Boding to all!" OTHELLO. 



