ow growth, a head or a tail being seen at intervals;
and then every sign was gone.

"Well," said the doctor to Jack, "that's another discovery to the good:
fresh pork and poultry."

"You can't eat parrots," said Jack, laughing.

"Why?" said the doctor.

"Oh, those highly-coloured birds can't be good."

"Wait a bit, my young philosopher. I never knew that gaily-coloured
barn-door cockerels were `bad', and I know that a young peacock is as
good as a pheasant; so where is your theory now?"

"Yes, Jack, you are beaten," said Sir John merrily.

"Oh, but I meant parrots and cockatoos and birds of paradise," said the
lad hurriedly.

"Parrots and cockatoos live on fruit," said the doctor; "fruit is good,
ergo parrots and cockatoos are good, and I'll have a curry made of the
first I skin."

"You are right about the birds of paradise though, my boy," said Sir
John. "I should not like to try one of those, because they are so
nearly related to the crow."

"A bird of paradise related to a crow--a black crow?"

"Oh yes, you'll find some of the most gaily painted birds out here in
the tropics very nearly related to some of our more common friends at
home."

"Yes; look, there goes one, Jack. I could bring him down easily."

The lad had already caught sight of a lovely bird upon the ground, which
stood looking at them for a few moments before hopping away beneath the
bushes and undergrowth, appearing again farther on, and then spreading
its wings for a short flight, and displaying the lovely colours with
which it was dyed, the most prominent being shades of blue relieved by
delicate fawn and pale warm drab.

"What's that?" cried Jack eagerly.

"That's a thrush," said the doctor.

"A thrush!"

"Yes; not one of our olive-green, speckled-breasted fellows, but a
thrush all the same, and saving its colouring, wonderfully like one of
ours."

There was plenty to say about bird and insect as they went on, keeping
just where the sand gave place to firm ground, for the birds were
excessively tame, and gave evident proof that they were not much
disturbed; while every now and then amid the lovely insects which
thronged wherever there were flowers, appeared some magnificent
butterfly, several inches across its wings, tempting Sir John to cease
exploring for the sake of making captures.

But everything was given up to the main object, and mile after mile was
tramped, every step seeming to reveal some new beauty--peeps thr