﻿-iG-i 
  Letters, 
  Extracts, 
  Notices, 
  ^'C. 
  

  

  mentioned 
  corresponds 
  with 
  the 
  " 
  spel-tree 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  Caper- 
  

   caillio, 
  and 
  such 
  trees 
  are 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  native 
  bird- 
  

   catchers 
  of 
  New 
  Guinea. 
  They 
  are 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  males 
  

   during 
  the 
  pairing-season, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  attract 
  the 
  hens 
  by 
  

   showing 
  off 
  their 
  gorgeous 
  plumage 
  in 
  numerous 
  elegant 
  

   motions 
  towai'ds 
  one 
  another, 
  as 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Thomson 
  

   (/. 
  c). 
  These 
  "plays 
  of 
  love^' 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  described 
  by 
  

   the 
  Rev. 
  James 
  Chalmers 
  in 
  his 
  interesting 
  'Work 
  and 
  

   Adventures 
  in 
  New 
  Guinea, 
  1877 
  to 
  1885^*. 
  As 
  regards 
  

   the 
  mode 
  of 
  catching 
  Birds 
  of 
  Paradise 
  we 
  find 
  {op. 
  cit. 
  

   p. 
  246) 
  the 
  following 
  notes 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  inland 
  natives 
  kill 
  them 
  

   with 
  arrows 
  ; 
  sometimes 
  they 
  catch 
  them 
  with 
  gum 
  smeared 
  

   over 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  tree. 
  The 
  natives 
  know 
  their 
  

   favourite 
  resorts, 
  and 
  many 
  are 
  thus 
  snared.^' 
  

  

  AVhen 
  in 
  New 
  Guinea 
  I 
  became 
  acquainted 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  

   latter 
  method 
  of 
  capture, 
  which 
  is 
  used 
  also 
  by 
  the 
  natives 
  

   of 
  ]\lilne 
  Bay, 
  and 
  to 
  prevent 
  error 
  it 
  is 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  

   mention 
  that 
  the 
  inland 
  natives 
  do 
  not 
  shoot 
  Birds 
  of 
  

   Paradise 
  with 
  arrows. 
  These 
  weapons 
  or 
  hunting 
  imple- 
  

   ments 
  have 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  use 
  in 
  New 
  Guinea. 
  Bows 
  

   and 
  arrows 
  are 
  unknown 
  to 
  the 
  natives 
  inland 
  of 
  Port 
  

   Moresby, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  tribes 
  on 
  the 
  Astrolabe 
  and 
  Owen 
  

   Stanley 
  Mountains. 
  The 
  drawing 
  in 
  Chalmers's 
  work 
  {op. 
  

   cit. 
  p. 
  246), 
  "^ 
  Shooting 
  Birds 
  of 
  Paradise," 
  which 
  shows 
  a 
  

   native 
  hidden 
  under 
  a 
  shelter 
  of 
  leaves 
  on 
  a 
  tree 
  aiming 
  at 
  

   these 
  birds, 
  is 
  therefore 
  quite 
  misleading, 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  

   refer 
  to 
  New 
  Guinea, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  Aroo 
  Islands. 
  As 
  has 
  

   already 
  been 
  mentioned 
  by 
  met, 
  this 
  illustration 
  is 
  merely 
  a 
  

   book-maker's 
  invention, 
  having 
  been 
  copied 
  from 
  Wallace's 
  

   * 
  Travels' 
  (frontispiece 
  to 
  vol. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  364, 
  German 
  edition). 
  

   The 
  birds 
  there 
  figured 
  are 
  also 
  clearly 
  of 
  the 
  Aroo-Island 
  

   species 
  — 
  Paradisea 
  apoda, 
  and 
  not 
  P. 
  raggiana, 
  which 
  is 
  

   peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  south-eastern 
  portion 
  of 
  New 
  Guinea. 
  

  

  Delmenliorst 
  (near 
  Bremen), 
  Yours 
  &C., 
  

  

  March 
  1893. 
  Dr. 
  Otto 
  Finsch. 
  

  

  * 
  London, 
  1885. 
  

  

  t 
  Annalen 
  d. 
  k.-k. 
  naturhistoriscten 
  Hofinuseums, 
  Bd. 
  iii. 
  Heft 
  4, 
  

   p. 
  334 
  (120) 
  (1888) 
  (note). 
  

  

  