278



How Birds of Paradise are caught.



down in a half-circle, and if he is not caught on his way to the

grasshopper, he generally finds himself in the noose getting away

from it. To catch these birds, which get their food on the wing, is

one thing, to keep them is another. Mr. Ward, after losing scores

of them for want of live food, conceived the idea of bleaching the

flesh of pigeons—the only meat available—and getting the natives to

hunt up some white grubs, such as are found in decayed wood. He

commenced by tying small pieces of this bleached meat on to the

white grubs. Each day the grub became smaller, the piece of meat

bigger ; eventually there was only the still-moving head and the meat

attached. In the end even the head went, and Mr. Ward was repaid

for his infinite trouble and perseverance by bringing a number of these

lovely birds, living on meat, to Sydney—probably the first seen alive

out of New Guinea.


Altogether, the food question for birds during transport must

have been very trying; in many districts Mr. Ward could only get

green bananas, and the artificial food brought along would go sour

an hour after opening the air-tight tins. Also the trouble he had

with his carriers, especially in hostile country, needs remembering,

and would dishearten anyone less enthusiastic or energetic. On

account of their quarrelsomeness, many of his birds had to be trans¬

ported in separate cages ; others would fight through the bars of

their cages and destroy or maim each other, and as the native track

through this endless jungle is but the width of a man, the cages

would bump against any obstacle — little would it trouble the natives

if these valuable birds suffered or not. From a height of 6000 ft., up

mountains and down paths almost perpendicular, over ridges sharp

as razors with a consignment of rare and valuable birds, eventually

landing them in wonderful condition — one might say almost ready

for showing—-is an achievement of which anyone might be proud.

It is only the few of us—like the writer of this article — who have

traversed an inhospitable country similar to New Guinea, suffering

the terrors of the tropical jungles, and that scourge of all tropical

countries—malaria—who realise what it means to collect live birds

in the virgin forests. Sick or well, the birds have to be fed and

watered, yet how many of us—the lucky possessors of tropical bird

treasures — realise what hardship and bodily misery it may have cost

the collector to obtain the specimens we now admire in our aviaries ?



