246 cassell's book of birds. 



Amisland, Salawati, Meisol, and AVaigiou, each of these localities possessing one or more distinct 

 species. 



Rosenberg has given us the following description of the manner in which the natives prepare 

 these valuable creatures for the European and other markets : — The Papuans shoot the Bird of 

 Paradise with arrows, and then strip the body of its skin, cut away the feet and a portion of the 

 tail-feathers ; they then insert a stick through the beak, and thus supported, the skin is hung to dry 

 in the smoke of a wood fire in order to preserve it from the attacks of vermin. The natives of 

 Meisol, on the contrary, do not remove the feet or any portion of the tail, as they have learnt by 

 experience that the unmutilated skins command the highest price. These skins are bought by 

 merchants from Madagascar, Teimate, and Eastern Seram, and conveyed to Singapore, from whence 

 they are forwarded to Europe or China. According to information received from these merchants 

 the finest birds come from the northern coast of New Guinea, the Sultan of Tidore receiving annually 

 a certain number of the skins obtained within his territory as tribute. 



The TRUE BIRDS OF PARADISE (Paradisem) possess a plume of long split feathers, placed 

 at the first joint of the wings, growing from a portion of skin about an inch in length, which can be 

 spread out or folded up at pleasure. The females are without this appendage. The two middle tail- 

 feathers are usually extremely long, and become enlarged at the tip. 



THE FOOTLESS BIRD OF PARADISE. 

 The Footless Bird of Paradise (Paradisea ajtoda), as it has been called, to perpetuate the 

 memory of the fables to which we have alluded, is a species about thirteen inches long. The 

 predominant colour of the plumage is a beautiful chestnut brown, the forehead a rich black, shaded 

 with emerald green ; the top of the head and upper part of the neck are lemon coloured, the throat 

 greenish gold, the upper throat violet brown ; the long, feathery plumes at the sides are a brilliant 

 orange, spotted with purple at their tips, but these soon lose their freshness and beauty when long 

 exposed to the rays of the sun. The eye is pale yellow, the beak and feet blueish grey. The colour 

 of the female is brownish grey upon the upper part of the body, the throat is greyish violet, and the 

 belly reddish yellow. This bird appears exclusively to inhabit the island of Aru. 



THE WUMBI. 



The Wumbi {Paradisea Papuana) is somewhat smaller than the species last described, not 

 exceeding twelve inches in length. The back of this bird is chestnut coloured ; the lower parts 

 of the body a deep reddish brown ; the top of the head, nape, and upper part of the throat 

 and sides are pale yellow ; the feathers upon the brow and beak black, with a green gloss ; the 

 throat emerald green ; the eye is of a whitish yellow, the beak and feet deep blue. The 

 young bird, on first leaving the nest, is entirely brown ; the upper portions of the body being 

 of a deeper shade than the rest ; the tail-feathers are of equal length, the two centre ones termi- 

 nating in a slight tuft ; after the first moulting, the head and nape of the neck are pale yellow, and 

 the brow and throat gleam with metallic green ; the two centre tail-feathers are a few inches longer 

 than those in the first plumage. After the third change, these feathers are prolonged into mere 

 bare shafts, measuring about fifteen inches ; and the beautiful plumes begin to sprout from the sides, 

 growing until at last they attain the enormous length of fifty or sixty inches, and in very old birds 

 have been known even to exceed that size. Rosenberg tells us that this species is found upon the 

 islands of Meisol and Salawati in considerable numbers ; upon the eastern coast of New Guinea it 

 is more scarce. 



