PHASES OP BIRD LIPE. 167 



One of the most brilliant exhibitions of this -kind 

 must be that of the great emerald birds of Paradise, 

 as they disport themselves before the object of their 

 affection. They gather in flocks of from twelve to 

 twenty on certain trees. Mr. A. R. Wallace, in his 

 " Malay Archipelago," gives an interesting descrip- 

 tion of these "dancing-parties," as they are called 

 by the natives. The wings of the male birds, he 

 says, " are raised vertically over the back ; the head 

 is bent down and stretched out ; and the long 

 plumes" — those that spring hke spray from the 

 sides or shoulders — " are raised and expanded till 

 they form two magnificent golden fans, striped with 

 deep red at the base, and fading off into the pale 

 brown tint of the finely divided and softly waving 

 points; the whole bird is then overshadowed by 

 them, the crouching body, yellow head, and emerald- 

 green throat forming but a foundation and setting 

 to the golden glory which waves above them." 



No wonder the maiden's reserve all melts away, 

 and she soon yields willing consent to her lover's 

 importunings ! There is only one flaw in this beau- 

 tiful picture, and that is made by man himself, — 

 man, the meddler in avian happiness. While the 

 birds are absorbed in their courtship, the natives, 

 for love of pelf, steal near and shoot them with 

 blunt arrows. Sometimes all the males are thus 

 murdered, ruthlessly, heartlessly, before the danger is 

 discovered. Of course the mercenary butchers sell 

 the plumes for decorative purposes. Gold is the 

 only thing that glitters in the eyes of a sordid world. 

 Some people spell " God " with an ■'' 1." 



