The RUBY OR RED BIRD OF PARADISE (_Paradisea rubra_) is distinguished
from the preceding species by a golden green plume, with which the front
of its head is decked. The back is russet yellow, a streak of this colour
passing like a broad band over the breast and under side of the body; the
breast and the wings are reddish brown, the base of the beak and a patch
behind the eyes are velvety black; the throat emerald green. The plumes
upon the sides are of a magnificent red, each feather terminating in a
circular tip; the tail-feathers have long shafts, which curl outwards;
the eye is light yellow; the back and feet greyish blue. In the female
the forehead and throat are of a rich brown; the upper part of the body
and belly reddish brown, the back of the head, throat, and breast bright
red.
The Red Bird of Paradise is extremely rare, as it is only found, and that
in small numbers, upon the island of Waigiou. The three species we have
mentioned closely resemble each other in their habits: all are lively
and intelligent, exhibiting (if we may so term it) a certain amount of
coquetry in the manner in which they display their glorious plumage.
Travellers who have seen these splendid creatures hovering in their
native element speak with rapture of their beauty; and Lesson tells us
that on one occasion he quite forgot to fire at a magnificent specimen as
he watched his intended victim float away--
"Upon its waving feathers poised in air--
Feathers, or rather clouds of golden down,
With streamers thrown luxuriantly out
In all the wantonness of wingèd wealth."
According to Rosenberg, the Birds of Paradise are migratory, living
partly upon the coast and partly in the interior of the country, which
they visit as soon as the fruit is quite ripe. We have seen a flock of
these beautiful creatures winging their way to a tree, that after having
been fired upon, returned almost immediately to the same spot; but this
is by no means usual--on the contrary, as a rule they are extremely shy,
and very difficult to obtain with the gun. Their cry is hoarse, and often
followed by a scraping kind of sound; it may be heard both in the morning
and evening, but rarely during the day. Lesson tells us that whilst
creeping amongst the branches in search of the insects that constitute
their favourite food, they utter a soft clucking note, entirely unlike
their call, which is only heard when the bird is perched high upon the
tops of the trees. During the entire day their graceful forms may be seen
flying incessantly from one tree to another, never remaining perched for
more than a few minutes upon the same branch, and concealing themselves
among the foliage at the first suspicion of danger. Before sunrise they
are already on the alert, and busied in their search for the fruit and
insects upon which they subsist; in the evening all the various members
of the party congregate at the summit of a high tree, where they pass the
night. Lesson informs us that the Bird of Paradise is often seen flying
in parties of some forty or fifty, under the guidance of a leader, who
soars considerably above the flock he is conducting; their cries as they
struggle with the wind are not unlike those of the Starling; when much
incommoded by a strong breeze their note resembles the call of the Raven.
Should a storm arise, they will at once soar high into the air, as though
to escape the power of the blast; but in spite of all their efforts
they are often rendered completely helpless, as the wind blows aside
and entangles their long tails and waving plumes, and not unfrequently
forces them to fall heavily to the earth, or into the sea; many are thus
drowned, and others are obliged to lie upon the ground until they have
recovered sufficiently from the shock to arrange their disordered and
matted feathers. On the eastern and northern coast of North Guinea and
in Meisol, the breeding season commences in May, but upon the western
coast and in Salawati the eggs are not laid till November. Lesson is
of opinion that the Bird of Paradise lives in a state of polygamy, and
tells us that the males are most active in their endeavours to show
their glorious apparel to full advantage when desirous of attracting
the attention of the females. We learn from Rosenberg that in order to
obtain the Bird of Paradise, the natives, during the dry season, build
little huts of twigs and leaves amongst the branches in one of the trees
usually selected as a sleeping-place. About an hour before sunset this
leafy bower is occupied by a man who is considered to be a practised
shot; silently he crouches until the flock begins to arrive, and then one
after another he marks them out and strikes them to the ground, with an
arrow armed with a conical wooden cap as large as a teacup, so arranged
as not to injure the plumage of the bird. In some places limed twigs
are employed for this purpose, and in others snares are laid upon the
branches of the fruit-trees in such a manner as to entangle the foot of
the unsuspecting victim, who, when thus caught, is at once drawn down by
means of a long string.
Mr. Wallace gives the following interesting account of his experience
among these beautiful creatures in their native haunts:--"When I first
arrived" (at Waigiou) "I was surprised at being told there were no Birds
of Paradise at Muka, although there were plenty at Bessir, a place where
the natives caught them and prepared the skins. I assured the people I
had heard the cry of these birds close to the village, but they would not
believe that I could know their voice. However, the first time I went
into the forest I not only heard but saw them, and was convinced there
were plenty about; but they were very shy, and it was some time before
we got any. My hunter first shot a female, and I one day got close to a
very fine male. He was, as I expected, the rare red species, _Paradisea
rubra_, which alone inhabits the island, and is found nowhere else. He
was quite low down, running along a bough searching for insects, almost
like a Woodpecker, and the long, black, ribbon-like filaments in his
tail hung down in the most graceful double curve imaginable. I covered
him with my gun, and was going to use the barrel, which had a very
small charge of powder and number eight shot, so as not to injure his
plumage, but the gun missed fire, and he was off in an instant among
the thickest jungle." After describing other unsuccessful attempts, Mr.
Wallace proceeds:--"At length the fruit ripened on the fig-tree close by
my house, and many birds came to feed upon it; and one morning, as I was
taking my coffee, a male Paradise Bird was seen to settle on its top. I
seized my gun, ran under the tree, and gazing up, could see it flying
across from branch to branch, picking a fruit here, and another there,
and then, before I could get a sufficient aim to shoot to such a height
(for it was one of the loftiest trees of the tropics), it was away into
the forest. They now visited the tree every morning, but stayed so short
a time, their motions were so rapid, and it was so difficult to see them,
owing to the lower trees which impeded the view, that it was only after
several days' watching, and two or three misses, that I brought down my
bird--a male in the most magnificent plumage."
[Illustration: _Plate 8. Cassell's Book of Birds_