3S 



procured from the island of liouro, ^one of the 

 Mdlueoa group,) whi^fe is m tlwt tte 



Mtitde of 3^ W mm&i^ mi I^fittid^ im^ W 

 east. It wad preseiLted to Mr» Beak by Mr. 



Blcttorman . 



hi Valentin's account of the Birds of Paradise, 

 (quoted in Forrest*& Voyage to S#*S"Gumea, &c.) 



these birds on the island of Gilolo, the Papua 



Islands, and New Guinea ; and they wore known 

 by the name of Passaros da soi^ i. e. birds of 



M^tm idtoal^, burd of God. The sii^^nis 

 of tlie bird having no 1^8* being constantly on 

 tlie wing, and in tlie air, on which it lived, are of 

 course perfectly fabulous : to support which ac- 

 eoQUti however, the legs of the birds w«ra always 

 Gut otfj #iu the -pteis^^ specimens were of- 

 fbired for sale. Another reason fur cutting off 

 the hviz's is, tliat tlie )»irds are found to l)e more 

 easily preserved without tlieiii ; besides, tliat the 

 Moors wanted the birds without legs, in order to 

 put th^^lh ih^ iAfstk lighti^» On thefr hehnetft, 

 as Ornaments. The inhabitants of Aroo, however, 

 have oflered the birds for sale with legs these 

 seventy ov eighty years ; ami Pigafetta, slii])niate 

 of Ferdinand Magelhaens, wdio had often seen 

 them, proved* about the year ihat they 



