BY JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER, LL. D, 19 



becaufe the people of thefe iflands bring them to Banda and Am- 

 ioyna for fale. The Aruans give them the name oi Fanaan. In 

 faft, thefe birds are not found in the ifland Key., which is about 

 50 miles eaftward of Banda, but are met with in the Am iflands 

 (which are 15 miles further to the eaft than Key) at the dry 

 feafon of the weftern monfoon, and return to New Guinea at the 

 commencement of the rainy feafon, as foon as the eaft wind 

 begins to blow. They fly in flocks of about 30 or 40, led by a 

 bird which the Aruans call King, but which is altogether diftinft 

 from the lefler Bird of Paradije, This leader is black with red 

 Ipots, and conftantly flies higher than the refl:, which never fepa- 

 rate from it, but immediately when it fettles, fettle too ; whence 

 they frequently perifh, for if the leader fettles on the ground, 

 they are not able to rife on account of the peculiar ftruclure of 

 their feathers. Nor can they fly with the wind, for in that cafe 

 their very long loofe feathers would be totally difordered : they 

 therefore always fly againft the wind, and carefully abftain from 

 flight in a ftorm, which often throws them to the ground. 



While flying diey are noify, lilce fcarlings; but their crj 

 rather refembles the croaking of ravens, and is particularly audi- 

 ble, when in windy weather the incumbrance of their feathers 

 brings them into imminent danger of falling to the ground. la 

 the Aru iflands they perch on the higheft trees, efpecially on thofe 

 of the fmall-leaved Waringha with red fruit, on which they chiefly 

 lubfift (Ficus Benjamina? Hort. Malab. iii. f. 35. Rumph. 

 Amboin. iii. f. 90.) They are taken by the inhabitants with 

 bird-lime, Tnares, or blunt arrows. But though many fall alive 

 into the fowlers hands, they are immediately killed, and after em- 

 bowelling, and generally cuttmg off their feet, they are fumigated 



D 2 with. 



