Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-04-04

foiBon
Rev. r. NJ. Masterson, who has just
returned from New Guinea, where he
has been for the last seven years as
missionary from this city, in recent
conversation with the Cincinnati Times
correspondent told of a most remark
able bird he bad seen in that country.
The bird, which is called by the ma
tives the Rpir N'Doob, meaning the
bird OF death, produces by IT'S bite a
madness ending in death. The victim
is almost inst .ntly seized with violent
pains in the member bitten, which
pains soon spread over the entire body,
but are especially excruciating in the
bowels. Loss OF sight follows and
rush OF blood 10 the head. The limbs
culver convulsively, and a white, of
fensive froth breaks out OF the mou tn.
A sort Of frenzy takes possession of
the sufferer, in which he shrieks and
howls. occasionally laughing up
roariously, and capering to his own
chanting or singing. until his strength
exhausted he sinks to the ground,
when he becomes unconscious and
rigid in every limb. with his teeth
firmly locked as in tetanus.
Mr.. Masterson describes the rpir as
small and about the size OF COM
mon pigeon, but of Il slenderer. longer
build, and OF peculiar gray plumaee
lacking entirely the glossy appearance
OF feathers. Its tail extraordinarily
long and runs TO a sharp point ending
in u blood red tip. No other color is
to be seen when it is not in flight, but
the extended wings snow bright yellow
beneath, sometimes varied with an in
tense lusterless black. Its bill is very
powerful though thin and long. and is
perfectly straight except at the end,
where it curves sharply with an
abrupt tip. The feet are coal bl elk
and resemble somewhat those OF the
African parrot but have very sharp
nails curving almost into fish hooks.
This singular bird is to be found on
~ on the reedy shores of the low-lying
|; kes Of New Guinea, which are often
only immense stagnant ponds or
marshes. The eggs are laid in the
Shiny. moist earth close to the waters
edge and are most beautifully vare-
gated. being OF II rich crimson, dappled
with blue gold and white. but are very
small md perfectly round. The male
of the rpir n'doot has no note, but the
hen, which is considerably the larger
OF the two, gives a peculiar, long -drawn
cry, which has piercing. melancholy
sound, but which is repeated at short
intervals, and continuously.
The rpir being very awkward and
capable of only short flights OF two or
three yards. cAn be caught without diff
flculty, but is let severely alone by the
Papuans, who say that no one has ever
survived its bite, there being no anti
dote, and death always ensuing within
an hour or two, when the body shortly
turns purple and becomes much swol-
len, decomposition speedily setting
in.
Mr. Masterson succeeded in SHARING
one OF tho birds and confined it Ia
cage, intending to bring it home as a
curiosity, but it pinned away in captiv-
ity, literally starving itself to death.
as it refused to partake OF any food
whatever.
Mr.. Masterson regrets that his
knowledge OF natural history was so
slight as TO forbid of his learning in
what the birds venom lies, but gives
as his opinion that its bill is hollow
and charged with the deadly poison.
This poison seems given merely as a
means OF defense, for, rs nearly as tn o
gentleman could tell from his limited
opportunities Of observing it, the bird
is herbivorous, feeding on the tender
young shoots of the reeds and water
flags.