139 
Birds of the Fiji Islands. 
vain, till what we had taken for the gorgeous tints of a dying 
leaf, suddenly sprang to another bough. The te coachman 39 
tried to start his horses again; and at every “ chuck 99 the 
“ gorgeous orange” jerked up and down in the oddest manner. 
It was Chrysoena victor of Gould, in all his glory! which 
in a few moments fell like an orange-and-gold ball headlong 
to the ground. 
Brethren of the B. 0. U. (I know you can rejoice with me 
over the acquisition of a rare bird of beautiful colours and 
strange appearance), picture to yourselves our delight as we 
handled the brilliant Orangebird, with the sun-light gleaming 
through its golden wings, and lighting up the emerald-green 
of its bill and feet, and of the cere round the yellow-buff eye, 
now closing, alas ! in death. 
We “ lifted [him] up tenderly,” stroked the smooth fea¬ 
thers of the strangely-coloured head, and recalled the moment 
when Mr. Gould exhibited the first specimen in the rooms of 
the Zoological Society. How little did I dream that I should 
be the first, perhaps the only one, of those present who gazed 
on the beautiful bird, to shoot it in its native haunts. We 
think of friends far away, till “ Pretty 99 recalls us to Taviuni 
and the woods with a tug at the sleeve, and the magic word 
“Manu-manuand there, within easy range, with drooping 
wings and uplifted tail, swinging in the loop of a pendent 
liana, a jet-black bird, that at once reminded us of the Indian 
Robin (Thamnobia fulicata) , jerked itself from side to side, 
while it progressed by short leaps up the liana. As I thrust 
a cartridge into the breech of my gun, the bird darted off 
through the trees, exposing to my astonished gaze the ex¬ 
quisite white satin patch that adorns the tail of Lamprolia 
victories ! 
Before my trip was over, many a sable beauty lay in my 
hand ; and probably my first acquaintance was one of them, 
as we found them, though distributed, pretty local, and at¬ 
tached to certain spots. My son and I usually brought home 
a row of birds, numbering from sixteen to twenty or more, 
pendent from a long stick, carefully carried by “ Pretty,” and 
shaded from the sun or rain by a long banana-leaf. After an 
l 2 
