160 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXIIl. 



the end of the clearing. The population numbers about seventy, 

 and Anthony tells me that this is the first time it has been visited 

 by a white man. The Superb Bird of Paradise, Lojjhorina 

 superba, is very common here, its harsh cry being heard all round 

 the village. I got my first specimen here of the small longtail 

 bird of paradise, Princess Stephanie's Bird of Paradise, Astrapia 

 stejjhanioi. One of the boys found a male and female blue- 

 shafter, Prince Rudolph's Bird of Paradise, Faradisornis rudoljohi, 

 sitting on a bough. He fired at the male, which he missed, but 

 killed the female. This is the only female bird of paradise I got 

 with bright-coloured plumage, the wings being of a beautiful blue 

 colour. The village children, who all went bird-nesting, brought 

 in a large number of eggs and some beautiful little nests. The 

 eggs were mostly those of a bronze-wing pigeon very common 

 here, and building its nest in the low scrub where old gardens 

 had been. The gardens here are very large, and contain 

 quantities of taro, which appears to be much the most nutritious 

 of the native foods. The natives say they can go all day on one 

 meal of taro, but cannot do so on yams and other foods. Wherp 

 taro is plentiful the natives generally have a fine physique. 



On yth November we started for Kage, crossing the river (a 

 tributary of the Brown) and ascending the opposite range. 

 Before reaching the top of the range we passed through some low 

 scrub and bamboos, reported to be a good hunting ground for the 

 P. rudolphi. On reaching the summit we travelled in a north- 

 east direction along ridges through scrub country, keeping the 

 valley we had crossed on our left, and reaching the chief Geve's 

 house in the Kage district on the evening of yth November. 

 The second day's march was very severe, being up and down a 

 succession of very steep hills. It is wonderful how the women 

 carriers kept going. They seemed little the worse in the evening 

 for their hard day's work, whereas I was tired out, though carrying 

 nothing but a stick. We passed many creeks on the way con- 

 taining broken slate and quartz. Five miles before reaching 

 Geve's house we came across about forty Kage tribesmen who 

 were seated in a garden house consisting of nothing more than a 

 roof and floor. There was a feast about to be held to celebrate 

 the making of a new garden, and the chief, a man of most 

 pleasing aspect, came forward and shook hands with me, my 

 followers grouping themselves in the grass around. The chief 

 distributed food to my party. With natural courtesy he served 

 first of all the Moroka boys, who came from a distance and were 

 strangers to him ; then the Eafa people, who were friendly neigh- 

 bours ; and last of all his own invited guests in the garden house. 

 He presented Anthony and myself with a roasted cuscus or 

 opossum, which I was hungry enough to enjoy. I saw no real 

 villages in this district, but there seems to be a large population. 



