File:Stories about birds of land and water (1874) (14770718193).jpg

Identifier: storiesaboutbird00kirb (find matches)
Title: Stories about birds of land and water
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Kirby, Mary, 1817-1893 Kirby, Elizabeth, 1823-1873
Subjects: Birds -- Juvenile literature
Publisher: Hartford (Conn.) : American Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Europe. We can give you no idea of the bird in the picture by mere description.It is called the Red Bird of Paradise, and his plumes are crimson, tipped withwhite. The throat is a rich green, and there is a tuft of green feathers on hishead ; and there are two long quills, a little like whalebone, that hang downwith a curve. His home is in a little island close by New Guinea, and every year anumber of Birds of Paradise are sent as a tribute to the chiefs of anotherisland. The native goes into the forest with his bow and arrow to shoot them.He lies hidden very snugly in a little hut lie has made, and presently he seesthe most wonderful sight you can imagine. THE BIRDS OF PARADISE. 13 First one Bird of Paradise, and then another, comes to settle on the broadleafy top of a tree that grows close by the hut. There is the Great Bird ofParadise, the only one we ever see in England—that is, as a stuffed bird ; neveras a living one. You have no idea of his beauty when he is moving about near
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THE RED BIRD OF PARADISE. the tree, the sun flashing on his wonderful colours. His head and neck areyellow, and his throat of a lovely green; then his plumes are of an orange-gold colour, and look like fans of gold. The Birds of Paradise are very lively in their dispositions, and they have 132 STOJUES ABOUT BIRDS. quite a frolic at the top of the tree, and fly about and wave their splendidplumes until the tree seems alive with them. But the native, from his little green hut below, has watched all theirmovements. His arrows have blunt points to them, for he does not wish toruffle the plumage of the bird ; and he takes aim, and shoots at one of themerry, frolicsome group. Ihe poor bird falls stunned to the ground, and thenit is picked up and killed. When the native has killed as many as he cancarry, he takes them home to his hut. He is a native bird-stuffer, and he dries and prepares the body so that itshrinks almost to nothing. But the beautiful plumes display themselves togreat advant

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