第185章

Thus one of my objects in coming to the far fast was accomplished. I had obtained a specimen of the King Bird of Paradise (Paradisea regia)， which had been described by Linnaeus from skins preserved in a mutilated state by the natives. I knew how few Europeans had ever beheld the perfect little organism Inow gazed upon， and how very imperfectly it was still known in Europe. The emotions excited in the minds of a naturalist， who has long desired to see the actual thing which he has hitherto known only by description， drawing， or badly-preserved external covering--especially when that thing is of surpassing rarity and beauty， require the poetic faculty fully to express them. The remote island in which I found myself situated， in an almost unvisited sea， far from the tracks of merchant fleets and navies；the wild luxuriant tropical forest， which stretched far away on every side； the rude uncultured savages who gathered round me，--all had their influence in determining the emotions with which Igazed upon this "thing of beauty." I thought of the long ages of the past， during which the successive generations of this little creature had run their course--year by year being born， and living and dying amid these dark and gloomy woods， with no intelligent eye to gaze upon their loveliness； to all appearance such a wanton waste of beauty. Such ideas excite a feeling of melancholy. It seems sad， that on the one hand such exquisite creatures should live out their lives and exhibit their charms only in these wild inhospitable regions， doomed for ages yet to come to hopeless barbarism； while on the other hand， should civilized man ever reach these distant lands， and bring moral， intellectual， and physical light into the recesses of these virgin forests， we may be sure that he will so disturb the nicely-balanced relations of organic and inorganic nature as to cause the disappearance， and finally the extinction， of these very beings whose wonderful structure and beauty he alone is fitted to appreciate and enjoy. This consideration must surely tell us that all living things were _not_ made for man. Many of them have no relation to him. The cycle of their existence has gone on independently of his， and is disturbed or broken by every advance in man's intellectual development； and their happiness and enjoyment， their loves and hates， their struggles for existence， their vigorous life and early death， would seem to be immediately related to their own well-being and perpetuation alone， limited only by the equal well-being and perpetuation of the numberless other organisms with which each is more or less intimately connected.

After the first king-bird was obtained， I went with my men into the forest， and we were not only rewarded with another in equally perfect plumage， but I was enabled to see a little of the habits of both it and the larger species. It frequents the lower trees of the less dense forests： and is very active， flying strongly with a whirring sound， and continually hopping or flying from branch to branch. It eats hard stone-bearing fruits as large as a gooseberry， and often flutters its wings after the manner of the South American manakins， at which time it elevates and expands the beautiful fans with which its breast is adorned. The natives of Aru call it "Goby-goby."One day I get under a tree where a number of the Great Paradise birds were assembled， but they were high up in the thickest of the foliage， and flying and jumping about so continually that Icould get no good view of them. At length I shot one， but it was a young specimen， and was entirely of a rich chocolate-brown colour， without either the metallic green throat or yellow plumes of the full-grown bird. All that I had yet seen resembled this， and the natives told me that it would be about two months before any would be found in full plumage. I still hoped， therefore， to get some. Their voice is most extraordinary. At early morn， before the sun has risen， we hear a loud cry of "Wawk-wawk-wawk， wók-wók-wók，" which resounds through the forest， changing its direction continually. This is the Great Bird of Paradise going to seek his breakfast. Others soon follow his example； lories and parroquets cry shrilly， cockatoos scream， king-hunters croak and bark， and the various smaller birds chirp and whistle their morning song. As I lie listening to these interesting sounds， Irealize my position as the first European who has ever lived for months together in the Aru islands， a place which I had hoped rather than expected ever to visit. I think how many besides my self have longed to reach these almost fairy realms， and to see with their own eyes the many wonderful and beautiful things which I am daily encountering. But now Ali and Baderoon are up and getting ready their guns and ammunition， and little Brio has his fire lighted and is boiling my coffee， and I remember that I had a black cockatoo brought in late last night， which I must skin immediately， and so I jump up and begin my day's work very happily.

This cockatoo is the first I have seen， and is a great prize. It has a rather small and weak body， long weak legs， large wings， and an enormously developed head， ornamented with a magnificent crest， and armed with a sharp-pointed hoofed bill of immense size and strength. The plumage is entirely black， but has all over it the curious powdery white secretion characteristic of cockatoo.