62



Sir Wiixiam Ingram,



The district which Mr. Horsbrugh eventually chose, acting

on the advice of the Governor of British New Guinea, was that

lying to the east of Mount Yule, near the head of the St. Joseph

River. I will not here recount the numerous adventures and

difficulties that Messrs. Horsbrugh and Stalker encountered

before getting together a sufficient number of Birds of Paradise,

that is, as many as they could conveniently manage on their long

journey home, but suffice to say that after some weeics collecting

they had obtained several specimens of the lovely Count Raggi’s

Bird (. Paradisea raggiana), Lawe’s Six-plumed ( Parotia lawesi),

Hunstein’s Magnificent Bird ( D. hunsteini), the New Guinea

Rifle Bird (. Ptilorhis intercedens), and some Manucodes, but no

example of P. rudolphi. By this time they had learned that this

species was far away; some of the natives from a distance recog¬

nised the bird from a colour drawing which was shown to them,

but they assured Mr. Horsbrugh that it lived many miles away,

far in the interior, and they made him understand that even in

its native haunts the bird was very rare; therefore Horsbrugh

and Stalker were in a great dilemma, but they eventually decided

on the wisest course, that was for them both to return to the

coast, one to take the valuable consignment they had collected to

England, the other to remain and make a great effort to reach

the place where the Blue Bird might be found, and if possible to

secure some specimens. As Mr. Stalker was ill, suffering from

bad sores in his hands and legs, it was decided that he should

rest at Yule Island and recuperate there, and Mr. Horsbrugh

should return to Europe. The latter was successful in bringing

home safely the most varied and important collection of birds

that had up to that time ever reached this country.


Some time afterwards I had news of Stalker’s movements,

he had recovered from his illness and had started alone for the

interior ; he had many difficulties to overcome, having to cut his

way through a tropical forest, the inhabitants of three villages

being engaged for ten days cutting a path. Stalker had taken

with him ten natives, skilled in capturing live birds, and when at

last he had reached the locality where the Blue Bird might be

found he was confronted with the most serious obstacle he had

yet met. His native followers refused to go into the bush in



