THE BIRD OF PARADISE. 
The name of this beautiful creature, we may 
fairly suppose, was given to him on account of 
his being generally seen on the wing, and flying 
in the tropic zone at a small distance from the 
land. Its appearance, being most welcome to 
the tired sailor and longing passenger, gene- 
rally causes much happiness by its foretelling 
the vicinity of terra firma. The head is small, 
but adorned with colours which can vie with 
the brightest hues of the peacock’s embellish- 
ments ; the neck is of a fawn tint, and the body 
very small, but covered with long feathers of a 
browner hue, tinged with gold ; two feathers 
issue from the rump, and constitute the tail. 
These volatiles, whose beauty exceeds that of 
all others, are natives of the Molucca Islands, 
and are frequently seen in large flocks among 
the delightful and spicy woods of that country. 
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