208 
Mr. C. B. Horsbrugh —Journey to British 
Hunstein’s Paradise-birds, wliicli soon became tame enough 
to feed from our hands. The other held several sorts of Doves 
and some BaggPs Paradise-birds. No single day passed 
without some addition to our collection, and in reviewing our 
united experience with European and other birds, Stalker and 
I agreed that we had never handled such confiding and fearless 
creatures as these. They would usually take food from our 
hands within three days of their capture. The Hunstein’s 
Birds-of-Paradise were the first examples of this family 
brought in. The males clear a small open space on the 
ground in which to display their beautiful plumage to a 
number of admiring females. It is an easy matter for the 
natives, who are all aware of this habit, to arrange a net near 
these “ dancing grounds 99 and at an opportune moment 
to frighten the birds into its meshes by a sudden shout and 
clapping of hands. We found that these birds were decidedly 
more delicate than the other species, but usually agreed very 
well amongst themselves when caged, and they were certainly 
more plentiful in this district than any of their other relatives. 
During our return journey from Dilava, Stalker fired at 
and missed a bird which must have been Lawes’s Bird- 
of-Paradise (Parotia lawesi), but this was the only glimpse 
obtained of it in its wild state. We were therefore 
much delighted to receive afterwards at different dates about 
a dozen examples of this fine species. Unlike Hunsteiids 
Paradise-bird, they were as hardy as we could wish and 
quickly became very tame. One specimen was slightly 
more adult than the others, having the six wires from the 
head of full length and the gorgeous cravat covering the 
throat well developed. It unfortunately died from some 
complaint affecting its eyes soon after reaching Sydney. 
Our natives could not appreciate our wish to receive hen 
Paradise-birds, the numbers of males far exceeding those of 
the iatter sex. We had to offer double rewards for hens of 
P.raggiana, and even then we only obtained three specimens. 
So far as we could discover, no birds are kept alive as pets 
in any of the villages in this particular district, as their habits 
in captivity and the trouble of attending to their wants would 
