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CHAPTER XV.

CHARMING CREATURES OF THE AIR.

Beauty of the Bird of Paradise-Strange Guesses-"A Heavenly Residence"-Flying Against the Wind-Method of Capturing the Paradise Bird-Rising Above the Gale-Plumage of Wonderful Elegance—Bird Seen in a Mirror-Fastidious Creature-Pride of Feathers-Pretty Hedge-Sparrow-Great Pains in Building a Nest-Fine Singers-Nightingale Learning the Hedge-Sparrow's Song-Discovery of the Lyre-Bird-Singular Form of Tail-Graceful Appearance-Swift Runner-Sudden Break in the Music-Savages Decorated with Superb Feathers-The Swift Swallow-Ingenious Aërial Oars-Long Flights-Extraordinary Migrations-Guesses by Scientific Men-"When the Swallows Homeward Fly"— Argus Pheasant-Size and Color--A Beauty of Sumatra-Plumage Decorated with a Hundred Eyes-Short Life in Captivity-Old Birds with Gay FeathersStory of Croesus and Solon-"Golden-Flower Fowl" of China-Far-Flying Albatross-Expert Fisher-Nest Built up on the Ground-The Plumed CraneMilton's Description-Story of William the Conqueror-Habits of Crane Family-Ludicrous Vanity of a Crane-Dweller in Tree-Tops.

JHE birds of paradise have great diversity of beauty. Some of them have thinly-barbed feathers to cover the closed wing, so prolonged as to form immense tufts, and extending far backward beyond the body. The most fanciful conjectures have been entertained in reference to the habits of these birds. By some they have been regarded as inhabitants of the air, living only on the dew of heaven, and never touching the surface of this terrestrial sphere; and others, while believing they never rested on the ground, have considered that they subsisted on insects. Some have ranked them among the birds of prey, and others—including Buffon-asserted that they had no feet, and could neither walk nor swim, and were incapable of any other means of progression except by flight.

Some little mystery beclouded the views of many, in consequence of the fact that the people of the islands where the bird of paradise was first obtained have paid little regard to the study of natural history. The fact is, that its legs being large and strong, and neither ornamental nor required in the skins made up for general commerce, were cut off; while the natives, thus concealing what they regarded as a deformity, considered themselves entitled to augment their demands when they offered the bird for sale. The purchaser of it in civilized countries naturally inquired for the legs of which it was destitute, and the seller began to think that it could

have none. Having arrived at this satisfactory conclusion, it was a necessary inference that a bird without legs must live in the air, which would render them unnecessary; the extraordinary beauty of the plumage added to the deception, and as it was considered to have "heavenly beauty," it was thought also to have a "heavenly residence." In accordance with this view its name was given, and the false reports which have been propagated on the subject have thus arisen. Hence Linnæus and the older writers styled the bird apoda, or footless, although the man who introduced the bird to scientific observation in Europe distinctly stated that it was in no prominent respect different from other birds.

Paradise Birds in the Air.

The true residence, or breeding-place, of these birds seems to be Papua, or. New Guinea, whence they make occasional excursions to some smaller neighboring islands. They fly in flocks of about thirty or forty, led, it is alleged, by a single bird, which the natives call their king, but which is said to be of a different species. It is further pretended, that when this bird settles the whole flight settle also, in consequence of which they sometimes perish, being unable to rise again, owing to the peculiar structure of their wings. They also always fly against the wind, lest their plumage should be discomposed. While flying they make a noise like starlings, but their common cry rather resembles that of a raven, and is very audible in windy weather, when they dread the chance of being thrown upon the ground. In the Aru islands they are seen to perch on lofty trees, and are variously captured by the inhabitants, with bird-lime snares and blunted arrows. Though many are taken alive, they are always killed immediately, embowelled, the feet cut off, the plumed skins fumigated with sulphur and then dried for sale. The Dutch ships frequenting the sea between New Guinea and Aru, a distance of about twenty miles, not unfrequently observe flocks of paradise birds crossing from one to the other of these places, but constantly against the wind. Should a gale arise, they ascend to a great height, into the regions of perpetual calm, and there pursue their journey. With respect to their food, we have little certain information from the older authors, some of whom assert they prey on small birds, a supposition which is favored by their strength of bills and legs, and the vigor with which they act in selfdefence. They are said also to feed on fruits, berries, and butterflies.

Plumed Bird of Graceful Flight.

A recent account of these birds in a state of nature is given by Lesson. The birds of paradise, he says, or at least the emerald species live in troops in the vast forests of the Papuans, a group of islands situated under

[graphic][subsumed]

ROYAL BIRD OF PARADISE.

the equator, and which is composed of the islands Arou, Wagiou, and the great island called New Guinea. They are birds of passage, changing their quarters according to the monsoons. The females congregate in troops, assemble upon the tops of the highest trees in the forest, and all cry together to call the males. These last are always alone in the midst of some fifteen females, which compose their seraglio, after the manner of the gallinaceous birds.

Colored Plumage of Surprising Elegance.

Soon after our arrival at this land of promise (New Guinea) for the naturalist, I was on a shooting excursion. Scarcely had I walked some hundred paces in those ancient forests, the daughters of time, whose sombre depth was perhaps the most magnificent and stately sight that I had ever seen, when a bird of paradise struck my view: it flew gracefully and in undulations; the feathers of its sides formed an elegant and aërial plume, which, without exaggeration, bore no remote resemblance to a brilliant meteor. Surprised, astounded, enjoying an inexpressible gratification, I devoured this splendid bird with my eyes; but my emotion was so great that I forgot to shoot at it, and did not recollect that I had a gun. in hand till it was far away.

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One scarcely has a just idea of the paradise birds from the skins which. the Papuans sell to the Malays and which come to us in America. The people formerly hunted the birds to decorate the turbans of their chiefs. They kill them during the night by climbing the trees where they perch, and shooting them with arrows made for the purpose, very short, which they make with the stem of the leaves of a palm. The campongs, or villages of Mappia and of Emberbakêne are celebrated for the quantity of birds which they prepare, and all the art of the inhabitants is directed to taking off their feet, skinning, thrusting a little stick through the body, and drying it in the smoke. Some more adroit, at the solicitation of the Chinese merchants, dry them with the feet on.

It is at the rising and setting of the sun that the bird of paradise goes. to seek its food. In the middle of the day it remains hidden under the ample foliage of the teak-tree, and comes not forth. He seems to dread the scorching rays of the sun, and to be unwilling to expose himself to the attacks of a rival.

Bennett, in his " Wanderings," gives the following account of a bird of paradise which he found in an aviary at Macao, where it had been confined nine years, exhibiting no appearance of age:

This elegant, beautifully colored creature has a light, playful, and graceful manner, with an arch and impudent look; dances about when a

visitor approaches the cage, and seems delighted at being made an object of admiration; its notes are very peculiar, resembling the cawing of the raven, but its tones are by far more varied. During four months of the year, from May to August, it moults. It washes itself regularly twice daily, and, after having performed its ablutions, throws its delicate feathers up nearly over the head, the quills of which have a peculiar structure, so as to enable the bird to effect this object. His food during confinement is boiled rice mixed with soft egg, together with plantains. and living insects of the grasshopper tribe; these insects, when thrown to him, the bird contrives to catch in his beak with great celerity.

Passionate Pride of Dress.

I have observed the bird, previously to eating a grasshopper given him in an entire and unmutilated state, place the insect upon the perch, keep it firmly fixed with the claws, and, divesting it of the legs and wings, devour it, with the head always placed first. He rarely alights upon the ground, and so proud is the creature of his elegant dress, that he never permits a soil to remain upon it, and may frequently be seen spreading out his wings and feathers, and regarding his splendid self in every direction, to observe whether the whole of the plumage is in an unsullied condition. He does not suffer from the cold weather during the winter season at Macao, though exposing the elegant bird to the ble ik northerly winds is always very particularly avoided.

The sounds uttered by this bird are very peculiar; that which appears to be a note of congratulation resembles somewhat the cawing of the raven, but changes to a varied scale of musical gradations. A drawing of the bird, of the natural size, was made by a Chinese artist. The bird advanced steadily towards the picture, uttering at the same time its cawing, congratulatory notes; it did not appear excited by rage, but pecked gently at the representation, jumping about the perch, knocking its mandables together with a clattering noise, and cleaning them against the perch, as if welcoming the arrival of a companion. After the trial of the picture, a looking-glass was brought, to see what effect it would produce upon the bird, and the effect was nearly the same; he regarded the reflection of himself most steadfastly in the mirror, never quitting it during the time it remained before him. When the glass was removed from the lower to the upper perch, he instantly followed, but would not descend upon the floor of the cage when placed so low.

Paradise Bird in His Glory.

One of the best opportunities of seeing this splendid bird in all the beauty of action, as well as display of plumage, is early in the morning,

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