194 
HARPER’S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
I will now give a list of all the Birds of Para¬ 
dise yet known, with the places they are believed 
to inhabit. 
1. Paradisea apoda (The Great Paradise Bird). 
Aru Islands. 
2. Paradisea papuana (The Lesser Paradise Bird). 
New Guinea, Mysol, Jobie. 
3. Paradisea rubra (The Red Paradise Bird). Wai- 
giou. 
4. Cicinnurus regius (The King Paradise Bird). 
New Guinea, Aru Islands, Mysol, Salwatty. 
5. Diphyllodes epeciosa (The Maguiflcent). New 
Guinea, Mysol, Salwatty. 
C. Diphyllodes Wilsoni (The Red Magnificent). 
Waigiou. 
7. Lophorina atra (The Superb). New Guinea. 
S. Parotia sexpennis (The Golden Paradise Bird). 
New Guinea, 
9. SemiopteraWallacei (The Standard Wing). Bat- 
chiau, Gilolo. 
10. Epimachus inagnus (The Long-tailed Paradise 
Bird). New Guinea. 
11. Seleucides alba (The Twelve-wired Paradise 
Bird). New Guinea, Salwatty. 
12. Ptiloris magnifica (The Scale-breasted Paradise 
Bird). New Guinea. 
13. Ptiloris Alberti (Prince Albert’s Paradise Bii’d). 
North Australia. 
14. Ptiloris paradisea (The Rifle Bird). East Aus¬ 
tralia. 
15. Ptiloris Victorias (The Victorian Rifle Bird). 
Northeast Australia. 
10. Astrapia nigra (The Paradise Pie). New Gui¬ 
nea. 
17. Paradigalla carunculata (The Caruuculated Par¬ 
adise Pie). New Guinea. 
IS. (?) Sericulus aureus (The Paradise Oriole). New 
Guinea, Salwatty. 
We see, therefore, that of the eighteen spe¬ 
cies which seem to deserve a place among the 
Birds of Paradise, eleven are known to inhabit 
the great island of New Guinea, eight of which 
are entirely confined to it and the hardly sepa¬ 
rated island of Salwatty. But if we consider 
those islands which are now united to New 
Guinea by a shallow sea to really form a part 
of it, we shall find that fourteen of the Paradise 
Birds belong to that country, while three in¬ 
habit the northern and eastern parts of Aus¬ 
tralia, and one the Moluccas. All the more 
extraordinary and magnificent species are, how¬ 
ever, entirely confined to the Papuan region. 
Although I devoted so much time to a search 
after these wonderful birds, I only succeeded 
myself in obtaining five species during a resi¬ 
dence of many months in the Aru Islands, New 
Guinea, and Waigiou. Mr. Allen’s voyage to 
Mysol did not procure a single additional spe¬ 
cies, but we both heard of a place called Sorong, 
on the main land of New Guinea, near Salwatty, 
where we were told that all the kinds we de¬ 
sired could be obtained. We therefore de¬ 
termined that he should visit this place, and 
endeavor to penetrate into the interior among 
the natives, who actually shoot and skin the 
Birds of Paradise. He went in the small prau 
I had fitted up at Goram, and through the kind 
assistance of the Dutch Resident at Ternate, a 
lieutenant and two soldiers were sent by the 
Sultan of Tidore to accompany and protect him, 
and to assist him in getting men and in visiting 
the interior. 
Notwithstanding these precautions, Mr. Alien 
met with diflficulties in this voyage which we had 
neither of us encountered before. To under¬ 
stand these it is necessary to consider that the 
Birds of Paradise are an article of commerce, 
and are the monopoly of the chiefs of the coast 
villages, who obtain them at a low rate from 
the mountaineers and sell them to the Bugis 
traders. A portion is also paid every year as 
tribute to the Sultan of Tidore. The natives 
are therefore very jealous of a stranger, espe¬ 
cially a European, interfering in their trade, 
and above all of going into the interior to deal 
with the mountaineers themselves. They of 
course think he will raise the prices in the in¬ 
terior, and lessen the supply on the coast, great¬ 
ly to their disadvantage; they also think their 
tribute will be raised if a European takes back 
a quantity of the rare sorts ; and they have be¬ 
sides a vague and very natural dread of some 
ulterior object in a white man’s coming, at so 
much trouble and expense, to their country only 
to get Birds of Paradise, of which they know 
he can buy plenty (of the common yellow ones 
which alone they value) at Ternate, Macassar, 
or Singapore. 
It thus happened that when Mr. Allen ar¬ 
rived at Sorong, and explained his intention of 
going to seek Birds of Paradise in the interior, 
innumerable objections were raised. He was 
told it was three or four days’ journey over 
swamps and mountains; that the mountaineers 
were savages and cannibals, who would cer¬ 
tainly kill him; and, lastly, that not a man in 
the village could be found Avho dare go with 
him. After some days spent in these discus¬ 
sions, as he still persisted in making the attempt, 
and showed them his authority from the Sultan 
of Tidore to go where he pleased and receive 
every assistance, they at length provided him 
with a boat to go the first part of the journey 
up a river; at the same time, however, they 
sent private orders to the interior villages to re¬ 
fuse to sell any provisions, so as to compel him 
to return. On arriving at the village where they 
were to leave the river and strike inland the 
coast people returned, leaving Mr. Allen to get 
on as he could. Here he called on the Tidore 
lieutenant to assist him, and procure men as 
guides and to carry his baggage to the villages 
of the mountaineers. This, however, was not 
so easily done. A quarrel took place, and the 
natives, refusing to obey the imperious orders 
of the lieutenant, got out their knives and spears 
to attack him and his soldiers; and Mi-. Allen 
himself Avas obliged to interfere to protect those 
who had come to guard him. The respect due 
to a white man, and the timely distribution of 
a few presents, prevailed ; and, on showing the 
knives, hatchets, and beads he was willing to 
give to those who accompanied him, peace was 
restored, and the next day, traveling over a 
frightfully rugged country, they reached the 
villages of the mountaineers. Here j\Ir. Allen 
remained a month without any interpreter 
through whom he could understand a word or 
