9 6 O^^ClTHOLOgr, Book Hi 



in thofe, yet in like manner of a black colour : The Plumage alfo wherewith the 

 Throat was covered was of a green fhining colour as in the precedent, but not ex- 

 ceeding the breadth of ones little finger. The Back from the Neck to the Rump was 

 indeed clothed with the like fine flender feathers 5 but of a different colour, viz. a 

 yellowifh afh-colour : But the Bread-feathers were of like colour with thofe of the 

 precedent: The Plumage alfo of that part next the Rump agreed with theirs. Of 

 what colour the Tail-feathers were I cannot tell, for that it wanted a Rump : For 

 which caufe I know not whether it had or wanted thofe long, round Nerves, with 

 which as many Birds of this fort as I have yet feen were furnifhed. The Wing-fea- 

 thers were of different length as in the former : Nor were they much unlike to them 

 in colour 5 but thofe that were the longeft had their fides thinner-fet with downy fila- 

 ments, and were of a much whiter colour than the feathers of the above defcribed 

 being a foot and half long. Now whether that colour of the feathers covering the 

 Back differing from the foregoing, makes or fignifies diverfity of Sex, as fome think, 

 I cannot fay 5 but John de Weely told me,that this was of the fecond kind, viz. of thofe 

 that are bred in the Iflands Papu£,and that fuch do indeed want thofe Nerves, but not 

 * ifuppofcke the TaiL and for that caufe * they cannot make the difference of Sex, as the Vulgar 



means thofe v ■ 1 o 



two long thlnk - '' 



Nerves or na- A certain Citizen oiLeydenhad a bird altogether like to this laft of Scaligerjw anting 

 fcathcr? ° f t ^ ie ^ um P anc * ^ ai ^ anc * a ^° tn ofe two long Nerves j which note whether it did di- 

 ftinguifh all Birds of that kind from others, was to me unknown ( becaufe I had only 

 obferved thefe two, that had this note, as far as I remember : Or if I did before hap- 

 pen to fee the like, they flipt out of my memory, becaufe at that time I was not fo dili- 

 gent and curious in taking exact notice of the forms of thefe and the like birds ) but 

 ( as I laid a little before ) John de Weely fatisfied me and removed all doubt as to that 

 point. 



Further when I had proceeded thus far in treating of this Bird, the fame John de 

 Weely a Citizen and Merchant of Amjierdam, a very curteous and obliging perfon, 

 who had fold the like Bird entire, with its Feet ftill remaining to it, totheEmperour, 

 informed me this June, Anno 1605. ( for I had enquired of him the May foregoing) 

 that that Bird of Paradife was of the greater kind, which have thofe two Nerves 

 growing out of their Rump, and that they have a flatter body, and not fo round as 

 thofe that are brought out of the Paptt£ Iflands: That its Feet were like a Hawks or 

 a Pullets, very foul and unhandfbm, clapped clofe to the body of the bird, fb that 

 the Toes only appeared : And that he was of opinion, that all Birds of Paradife had 

 the like feet 5 but that the Inhabitants for their uglinefs and deformity did together 

 with their Legs cut them off and caft them away. The fame thing about the end oijnns 

 he confirmed to me being prefentby word of mouth. 



§. X. 



* The fuppofed King of the greater Birds of Paradife. 



T Hat little Bird which I underftood to be called the King of the greater fort of 

 Birds of Paradife, was a very rare one. For though ( as I faid before ) I had 

 often feen Birds of Paradife both at Lisbon and other places, and the Holland Pilots 

 and Ship-matters, who are now wont to fail yearly into the Eaji Indies, coming back 

 from their Voyages, do almoft always bring home fome of thefe Birds, yet was it ne- 

 ver my hap to fee aKing, till the year 1603. viz. at Amjlerdam, in the hands of a cer- 

 tain Merchant, who was wont to buy up fuch like exotic things among the Mariners 

 returned home, that he might make a great profit by felling them again to others. But 

 in the beginning of the following y tax Emmanuel Sveerts, a very honed: man, and Ci- 

 tizen of the fame City, gave me noticethat he had the like : Whereupon I prevailed 

 with him to lend me the Bird for a few days, that I might defcribe it, and get its figure 

 cut in a table. And feeing I have mentioned it a little before, and no man hitherto 

 ( as far as I know ) hath fet forth the like, I thought my felf obliged in this place to 

 propofe its defcription, annexing its figure. 



This Bird was lefs than other Birds of Paradife, and of different feathers : For 



from the Head to the Tail it fcarce exceeded two inches length. Its head was very 



fmall, which together with its Bill was but an Inch and half long, of which length alfo 



( the Tail was. But. the Wings were much larger than the whole body of the bird, as 



being four Inches and an half long, and reaching two inches beyond the end of the 



Tail. 



