e British Museum EKplained and Illustrated. 



£^ <{APTERN THE EASTERN ZOOLOC.ICAL CAELERV. 



^ ORNITHOLOGY. 



1 PuRSuiNCi our examination of tlie cases to the left, 



(A-e find in case sixty-four a magnificent specimen 

 of the Bird of Paradise, so noted during our early in- 

 tercourse witli Eastern countries. The bill is straight, 

 compressed, rather strong, and unnotched ; the nostrils 

 being surrounded by a close tissue of feathers of a 

 velvet texture, sometimes resplendent -svith metallic 

 i lustre. These birds are natives of New Guinea, and in 

 ! consequence of the delicately graceful structure ol their 

 plumage, and the pure and beautifully blended colours 

 by which they are adorned, the species in general may 

 he regarded as the most highly prized of all the fea thered 

 race. Their history lius been long obscure, notwith- 

 standing the first of the genus made known to Euro- 

 peans ^vas imported as early as the year 1.)'22, by 

 one Antony Pigafetta, 

 who accompanied ]Ma- 

 gellan in liis voy- 

 age round tlie world. 

 Pigafetta, it appears, 

 was satisiied from the 

 first by ocular demon- 

 stration, that this bird 

 hud legs, though the 

 j natives cut them off as 

 parts of no importance. In consequence, however, 

 of this prevailing, if not universal mutilation, a notion 

 soon became prevalent in Europe that the bird was natu- 

 rally destitute of these common- place but very use- 

 ful organs, and that consequently it floated for 

 ever in the air, winnowing with loving wings the 

 : gentle breezes, or at times suspending itself for a few 

 brief moments from some lofty sun-illumined tree by 

 the two peculiarly lengthened filaments with wliich it is 

 adorned. In accordance with this belief, it was of 

 course consistent to suppose that whatever individuals 

 were obtained " on this dim spot, which men call 

 earth," they had fallen from their sn-ial heiglits imme- 

 diately beibre their dissolution. Even Aldrovandus, 

 the most zealous naturalist of his age, having himself 



