Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
killed by the boy without its plumage being injured by a drop of blood. The rest take no no-
The native mode of preserving them is to cut off the wings and feet, and then skin the
body up to the beak, taking out the skull. A stout stick is then run up through the specimen
coming out at the mouth. Round this some leaves are stuffed, and the whole is wrapped up
in a palm spathe and dried in the smoky hut. By this plan the head, which is really large, is
shrunk up almost to nothing, the body is much reduced and shortened, and the greatest
prominence is given to the flowing plumage. Some of these native skins are very clean, and
often have wings and feet left on; others are dreadfully stained with smoke, and all give a
most erroneous idea of the proportions of the living bird.
The Paradisea apoda, as far as we have any certain knowledge, is confined to the main-
land of the Aru Islands, never being found in the smaller islands which surround the central
mass. It is certainly not found in any of the parts of New Guinea visited by the Malay and
Bugis traders, nor in any of the other islands where Birds of Paradise are obtained. But this
is by no means conclusive evidence, for it is only in certain localities that the natives pre-
pare skins, and in other places the same birds may be abundant without ever becoming
known. It is therefore quite possible that this species may inhabit the great southern mass of
New Guinea, from which Aru has been separated; while its near ally, which I shall next de-
scribe, is confined to the north-western peninsula.
The Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisea papuana of Bechstein), 'Le petit Emeraude' of
French authors, is a much smaller bird than the preceding, although very similar to it. It dif-
fers in its lighter brown colour, not becoming darker or purpled on the breast; in the exten-
sion of the yellow colour all over the upper part of the back and on the wing coverts; in the
lighter yellow of the side plumes, which have only a tinge of orange, and at the tips are
nearly pure white; and in the comparative shortness of the tail cirrhi. The female differs re-
markably from the same sex in Paradisea apoda, by being entirely white on the under sur-
face of the body, and is thus a much handsomer bird. The young males are similarly col-
oured, and as they grow older they change to brown, and go through the same stages in ac-
quiring the perfect plumage as has already been described in the allied species. It is this bird
which is most commonly used in ladies' head-dresses in this country, and also forms an im-
portant article of commerce in the East.
The Paradisea papuana has a comparatively wide range, being the common species on the
mainland of New Guinea, as well as on the islands of Mysol, Salwatty, Jobie, Biak and
Sook. On the south coast of New Guinea, the Dutch naturalist, Muller, found it at the Oetan-
ata river in longitude 136° E. I obtained it myself at Dorey; and the captain of the Dutch
