THE BIRD OF PARADISE. 
13 
seek some sheltered place, or &y to other 
countries : but when the rain is over, and 
the spices in the woods breathe out fresh fra- 
grance, they return to their old haunts, and 
their gay plumes may be seen glittering 
amongst the trees. 
There is one thing that will rather amuse 
you. When the Birds of Paradise are about 
to take one of their long flights, they choose a 
leader to be king over them ; and where he 
goes they go, and w^here he set^'^s they settle, 
perching on the same tree. He gei^erally flies 
high up in the air, above the heads of his sub- 
jects, and takes care to lead them against the 
wind, so that their loose floating plumes may 
not be blown over their heads. If it comes a 
storm, they rise higher and higher, and keep 
mounting until they are out of its reach, and 
get into a calmer atmosphere. The natives 
always know the king, because he has spots 
upon his tail, like the eyes upon the feathers 
of the peacock. When they go into the woods 
to shoot the birds, they try to kill him first ; 
and they have a cunning Way of hiding them- 
selves in order to get a §likd shot. They make 
a little bower of the leaves- and branches of 
