THE OOLOGIST. 
(Milai'ovd fit tlie li]). Tlio tnio Birds ofPar- 
inliHe iiiv as tollttws : 
TliL' Footlfs.« llinl of P«n:tlise. (Para- 
dinca apoda) an it luis heeii trailed, to per- 
]H'tuate the labU' lo wliicli 1 liave alluded, 
probably tlio mord domuiou iii our markotn, 
lliR price ol' tin; skill ranging from to 
Ufcordiu;? to quality. luliabltr* tla' 
i.-iUiiid of Aril ; 
Tlie Wninbi ( raradiaca pnpuanii) 1^ very 
bcautifui, I'xtreineiy ran?, and coatly. lu- 
liabii.s the islands ol' Moisol and Salawati 
ill coiifiidcrable mmibi-rs. and tbe eahttu'u 
<'oa,st of Now GuiiiCii, wbere it is more 
:<t*arce ; 
The Kuby Bird of Paradise {Paradisea 
rnhra) — of wbidi I sliall speak hereafter ; 
The KJn,i»" Bird of Paradise {CijirudttcvH 
/■''f//.'ft.s-) . Hare in our markets; has a less 
rtnnarkable development of plumes. The 
two eeuti'al tiiil feathers twine like tendrils, 
fUid are furnished at the end with a \\ heel- 
like feathery expansion. I have never seen 
more than tw'o or three oi' these bii'ds. In- 
habits Ne>v Guinea and most of surround- 
ing islands ; 
Tbe Collared Bird of Paradise {Sophor- 
ina Huperha) is an extremely rare speeies 
inhabitiuf^ northern New^ Guinea. I have 
never had the pleasure of seein*; this bird ; 
llie Six-feathered Bii'd of Paradise {Par- 
ttf.ea aexpennh) , Very rare. Have never 
seen one, I shall have oceasion to s[)tak 
oftlie Efiimacha^ a family allied to the 
Birds of Paradise, ina future arliele. I 
have now before me four very fine speci- 
mens, three of the P. apoda and one of the 
/*. papuana, two of which were bought in 
Singapore and presented to Prof. Root «>f 
Hamilton College, for whom they were 
momited by my brother. One of them — 
the P. panpiumn — is the finest I have ever 
seen, having the wing?^, tail, ti'et and legs 
i-ntire ; long beautiful plumes, green thront 
and all making the most beautifid bird I 
have seen for same time. 
The P. ruhra^ the most beatitiful of all 
its tribe, is extremely rare, inhabiting in 
small numbers the island of Waigioii, Trav- 
filers who have seen these splendid creatures 
in their native element, speak of their beau- 
ty with rapture, and Lesson tells ns that 
on one occasion he quite forgot to fire at a 
mngiiilicont t^pecimen, as he watclied it float 
away. 
Din-ing the entire day, they may be seen 
flying from one tree, seldom staying long 
in (aie place. Lesson informs ns that the 
Bird of I'jinulise is often seen soaring high 
in ilu^ air, in tlocks of forty or fifty, under 
t!ie guidance of a leader, who Hies consid- 
eralily above the flocks he is condnetiug. 
Shouhl a stnnn arist?, they soar upward, 
as if to escape the power of the blast, but 
hi spite of their efforts, they are often ren- 
deM«l conq)letely helpless as the wind blows 
aside and entangles their long tails and wav- 
ing jtlumes, and not uufrequently causes 
them to fall lieavily to the earth or into tlui 
sea, and many are thus drowned and oth- 
ers oltliged to lie on the ground until they 
recover and arrange their disordered and 
mattt'd feathers. 
rpoii the northern coast of New Guinea 
and in Meisol, the breeding season begins 
in May. but upon the western coast and in 
Sula\vati, eggs are not laid till November. 
Rosenberg thus describes the mode of 
cajjturing it: Diu'ing the dry season, the 
natives build little huts of leaves and twigs 
among the branches of a tree selected as a 
sleejiiiiir place. About sunset tliis leafy 
bower i' occupied by a man, wdio is con- 
sidered as a practiced shot. Silently he 
crouches until tl»e il(icks begin to ari'ive, 
and tiieu (me after the other be marks and 
strikes them to the gnamd with an arrow 
armed with a conical cap about as large as 
a teaeuj). so arrangi-d as not to injure th»i 
pUmmge. Dr. Bennet says says one of the 
best opportunities of seeing this bird in all 
tla* beauty of action as well ns display of 
plumage is iiarly in the morning, when he 
makes his toilet. Tbe sub-alar plumage is 
then thrown out and cleaned from any spot 
I wliich may sully its purity by being gently 
passed tl^nrngh its bill. The short choco- 
late-colored wings are extended to their nt- 
, most, allowing the elegant plumes to 
1 float like filmfi in the ambient air. 
