Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1875 — Birds of Paradise. [ARTICLE]

Birds of Paradise.

Perhaps thaw are no species of birds which from their varied and brilliant plumaga are men attractive and more coveted ae an ornament for the aviaiy than Birds of Paradise, while none are more difficult to secure alive. Most of the species dwell in the inmost recesses of die forests of New Guinea and neighboring islands, which are almost impenetrable to white men, and are s inhabited by savages whom ft is dangerous to encounter. Mr. Wallace, the eminent naturalist, spent nearly four years in the districts es-1 pecially frequented by these birds, and yet he was able to secure specimens of only five out of the fourteen species dwelling in New Guinea. He brought home alive to England two individuals of the Poraditaa Papuana, and the remainder of his collection was in the form of dried skins. Mr. Cerutti succeeded in bringing to Europe a living specimen of the BeUneidet alba, and these three were the only living Birds of Paradise ever brought to the country until lately two have been received at the Zoological Gardens at Dresden. One of these is a Paraditaa Papuana and the other P. Apodo. The birds were secured through native traders living at Makassar and trading with New Guinea and the Aru Islands. They have been about three years in captivity, and, being accustomed to cage life, it is hoped they may be preserved some time in their present home, where they are placed under favorable conditions, with plenty of room and in an equable temperature of 77 deg. The food of the birds in captivity consists of bread, rice and worms. While in India they were fed upon grasshoppers, bananas and rice, and during their journey with the same vegetable diet, and a dessert of cockroaches. The birds are very active and noisy. The P. Apodo is quite tame, feeding from the hands. The. plumage of the birda suffered somewhat on the voyage. but it is expected, it will regain its full beauty after the next period of molting. The Parapoda, the Great Bird of Paradise is the largest of the SDecies. The •body, wings and tail are of a rich coffeebrown, deepening on the breast to a pur-ple-brown. The head and upper throat are of a delicate straw-color, with a band and spots of emerald green. The two middle tail-feathers vary from twenty-four to thirty inches in length, while from each side of the body of the male a dense tuft of long and delicate orange-yellow plumes springs from under the wings, and can be so elevated at the will of the bird as to conceal its entire body. The P. Papuana is much smaller than the former bird, but very similar in its markings. The plumage is of a less rich and intense hue.Jmt is disposed nearly the same. It is this bird that is , commonly used in the decoration of ladies’ hats, and for such purposes it has become an im ; portant article of commerce in the East.— Chicago Tribune.