BY JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER, LL. D. 21 



former. Thefe birds alfo follow a leader i which, however, has • 

 more of a dark purple in his wings -, but this leader is diitin- 

 guifhed from the 3d and ^.th black kinds. The Papuan inhabi- 

 tants of the ifland Miffowaly (Mixoal, Mayjol) relate that thefe 

 Paradije-birds never migrate, but build nefls in the higheft trees, 

 where they are found by the Alfuhris. The beak and neck are 

 longer in the male than in the female. By the people of Ternatey 

 and 1'idore, this bird is called 'Toffu or Burong Papuwa, Papua- 

 bird. By the Papuans it is named Shag or Shague. The people 

 of Eajt Ceram give it the name of Samakik ; but in the iflc of 

 Serghile, in Ne'u; Guinea, it is called TJhakke. It was formerly 

 believed that thefe birds were found in Gilolo or Halamahera, and 

 the adjacent iflands to the fouth and fouth-eaftj but it is now 

 certain that they are peculiar to the Papuan ifles. Thefe extend 

 from the fouthern extremity of Gilolo, and northern coaft of Ceratn, 

 as far as the weftern part o£ New Guinea. The largeft of them 

 are Mijowal (Mayjol) lying to the north of Ceram j and Sala- 

 watti, or Salawat, fituated near the country or ifland of Serghile, 

 in New Guinea. This laft, in the earlieft Portugueje maps, is im- 

 properly called Ceram, and is feparated from New Guinea. Thefe 

 ParadiJe-birds perch on the higheft trees of the mountainous 

 region, and are killed with blunt arrows by the people o{ Mijfo' 

 wal. Others relate, that the natives medicate the water of which 

 the birds are ufed to drink, v;ith the India-henies ( Menijpermum 

 Cocculus Linn.) whereby they are rendered fo ftupid as to be 

 taken by the hand. Thefe birds commonly feed on the fruit of 

 the 'Tpatnpeda-tvte, which they perforate with their bills, and 

 thus extradt the kernels. It is fabled by fome, that when thefe 

 birds become weak with age, they fly a great height towards the 



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