The true northerner., 1886-07-29

Sport with the Beautiful Raggiana, or Bird
of Paradise.
From tho London Field.

of Paradise.
From tho London Field
AS New Guinea at present occupies
good deal of tho attention of the outer
world, some account of that part of the
country favored by the bird of paradise
may be of interest to some of your
readers.
A party of girls, on sighting US, came
tumbling down in quest of tobacco.
They were exceedingly afiable and en-
gaging in their ways and had no false
modesty about them. Having rested a
few minutes, during which l made as
many engagements to chew bitel nut
New Guinean method of makir love-
with the most tempting of the crowd, L
scrambled up the remainder of the way.
After three miles tramping through the
grass we arrived at the head of dry
watercourse, which led into the depths
of the forest. We were now on the
verge of the haunts of the raggiana.
Huge trees rose towering above our
heads, while the underground of shrubs,
creepers, and lawyers" was so dense
and tangled that no animal with any
body like that of a wild boar cou d
force its way through. The trees with
which the hills are covered are very
lofty, and bare of branches or foliage
to the height of 100 to l5U feet. 1t is
on the uppermost boughs of these trees
that the bird of paradise gambols, and
one requires close-shooting gun to
kill at that distance.
After being kept awake great part
of the night by the murmur OF the
natives chatting around their fire,
dropped of to sleep, and was awakened
just at daylight by a shaking and a
voice hoarsely whispering lake" rag
giana) / reused myself and listened.
The first light of day was just struggling
through the dusk of the tree tops, when
| caught in the far distance the sound
of a piercing cry, rising in power and
shrillness with each repetition. The
sound may be conveyed by the words
kak -kak -kak, etc. 1t is very much like
the cry of an Indian bird whose tech
nicai name L do not know, but which is
generally known by the name of the
"hot-water" bird. No sooner had l
jumped from my hammock than close
at hand L heard the same cry. 70
seize my gun and slip on my boots was
the work of moment, and the next
minute l was peering up into the
heights of huge tree to a spot that the
native was pointing to, and where the
bird was calling. Nothing resembling
a raggiana could / see until suddenly a
ray of sunlight flashed over the distant
mountains, lighting up the forest al
most instantaneously; and then L
caught the scarlet and gold of the bird.
"A Ii, IA
ment had the sati faction of holding in
my hand my first bird of paradise. 1t
was lovely male specimen, IN all the
splendid plumage of the breeding sea-
son, and the contrast of the green and
gold of the head and neck with the
bright scarlet of the back plumes Justly
entities it to rank as one of the hand
soonest birds in the world. The female
appears very insignificant beside her
gorgeous mate, being a small dull red
bird, without any of the brilliant color
ing of the male.
/ arrived at the camp about 10 a. m,
and found that Gina had Just arrived,
bringing two raggianas and one king
bird. The latter IS an especially gor
geous bird about the size of lark
The whole of the neck, head, back,
wings, and tail is brilliant scarlet, the
breast and stomach being white, with
collaret OF wildly green feathers pro-
jecting from and overlapping the form
er. From the tail pro. ect two shafts
about six inches in length, unfeathered,
with the exception of the extreme ends,
from each of which a small circular
disk of bright metallic feathers sprout.
The magnificent sexpennis and rifle
bird inhabit the Mount Owen-Stanley
and Astrolabe ranges, which lie about
twenty miles beyond where L was In
three days bagged eighteen raggianas,
three king birds, six gouras, and some
smaller pigeons.