The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-05-13
they flash in the richest emerald that
can be imagined

other feathers of the tail are blaDn
and white.
Breast end lower body of the quezal
are scarlet-a scarlet so intense that,
when one sees o quezal fit through the
piimeval forests of the Central Ameri-
can cordilleras, the eye gets con-
fused idea of tongue of fame licking
through the trees.
When Cortez landed In Mexico he
found temples that were erected in
honor of the quezal. The feathers Of
the bird were valued at move than
gold, and the killing of the quesal was
a national crime. Every year the en-
peror of Mexico sent men out to gath
er quezal feathers. This was done by
catching the birds with bird lime, very
carefully taking the two long green
feathers from the tail and then liber-
ating them again.
No one was permitted to wear que
zal feathers except the emperor. Mon
tezuma's famous crown was made of
hundreds of the green tan feathers,
upheld by fine strips of precious wood
and bound together w..L gold, so that
when donned the crown stood almost
three feet above the forehead of the
wearer.
A splendid figure was the aztec en-
peror who wore lnis feather crown.
His cloak was made of almost equally
precious bright blue feathers. On
arms and ankles he wore rings of SOL
i'd gold. His belt was gold, set with
gems, and he bore in his hand go..-
en- spear set with the richest jewels of
the secret mines of Central America.
So the unhappy Montezuma was
clothed when he sat in council So he
was clothed when he received the
bloody Cortez and his men.
The mythology of the Central Amer
icas is almost wholly lost. The May.
ans. who loved the quczal, were a for.
gotten race ages before Cortez found
the wonderful Aztec empire in its
glory. But a few of the legends have
survived in vague forms. and one of
them Is the beautiful one of the quezal
birds creation.
Once upon time, says the legend,
there arose great man in Central
America. His name was Quezalcoatl,
and he was noble to behold and had a
great heart. He was born far away
in the Land cf the Sunrise, Tlapallan,
which lies across the seas and never
Is darkcned
His face was fair and he had shin.
ing eyes. A full beard flowed to his
breast and his look was the look Of
calmness and peace.
Long he waited in the sunland of
Tlapallan, till the right time. Then he
crossed the sea. His canoe was a
mighty seashell, and it was blown
over the deep as foam is blown along
from ridge to ridge Of the rollers. So
no landed on Mexico's shore
Clothed in pure white he wandered
through the land. He asked for no
sacrifice of beast or man for his altar.
He accepted offerings only of flowers
and fruits. Gentleness, friendship and
love were all that he preached.
Where he trod the earth rejoiced.
Green lay his path behind him. Bar.
rem lands became rich, rich lands be-
came prodigal. Cotton sprang up
everywhere. Maize grew to such di.
mensions that man could carry only
one ear at time. Fruit filled the
land with its fragrance.
And wherever Quezalcoatl appeared
the air became filed with the perfume
of flowers and birds of amazing beauty
few through it,
So sweetly did they sing that mems
souls melted when they heard War.
riors laid their weapons aside and
kneeled to listen.
Most glorious Of the birds was one
It shone scarlet. and that was Its dear
breast. 1t shone golden, and that was
from its tiny helmet and its long, long
tall
Wherever this bird appeared men
knew that the God Quezalcoau. was
nigh. So they learned to know the
shining bird rs the bird of their Sun
God and they called it Quezal.
1t was the golden age of America.
But there came a day when Tezcatli.
poca, the God of Darkness, gave Que.
zalcoatl magic potion that made him
old and weak and filed his heart with
unutterable longing for his home in
Tlapallan. And he went to the shore
of the sea and he stepped into his
great shell canoe and went out into
the sea never to return.
When his shining boat disappeared
below the horizon, the maize became
small and the cotton died and the
hearts Of men awolle again to war.
In the battles that came, the tenn.
pies of Que2alcoatl were thrown down
His priests fed frcm place to place,
till at last only. few still worshippej
him and performed his rites in the
deepest of the deep forests in the mys.
terious mountains.
Then these few faithful ones died,
too. Palms and creepers covered the
ruins of the last OF the affairs. Gener
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