In a short time it began to jump from side
to side and to assume an attitude of war, and all the time it never
ceased uttering an uncommon note, as though calling for admiration or
for a fight.

Not long after this curious exhibition followed the observer's great
prize, the _Drepanoris Albertisi_, which is so rare that even to many of
the natives it was a surprise. At the first glance this bird does not
appear to deserve a place in the remarkable family. It is about the size
of our common crow, brown on the back and lavender-gray below, with a
curved bill more than three inches long. But closer study reveals
several peculiarities: a bare space of bright blue around the eye,
brilliant green on the throat, and a pair of feathery tufts standing up
on the forehead like horns, with the crowning attraction of two pairs of
fans, one behind the other on each side of the breast, capable of being
folded smoothly against the body, or spread wide in two gorgeous
semicircles altering the entire outlines of the creature. The first of
the two admirable ornaments, when in repose, appears of the same
violet-gray hue as the breast; but when raised the bases of the feathers
are seen to be of a brilliant red, giving the effect of longitudinal
stripes. The second pair is much longer, with deep margins of splendid
purple instead of the stripes. When the possessor of all this splendor
spreads its four fans, it also erects the long tail and opens it widely
into a fifth fan, which produces an astonishing effect.

Another of D'Albertis's contributions to the mysterious family is among
its most magnificent members, the _Paradisea Raggiana_. A fine specimen
of this genus, mounted in the position described by Wallace as the
"dancing" attitude of _P. Apoda_, the floating plumes elevated in a
"golden glory" above the head, is the gem of the collection in the
American Museum of New York. It resembles the Great Bird of Paradise,
having long, airy plumes springing from under each wing. In general
color golden brown, with yellow head and green throat. To this bird, as
to others, beauty is a dangerous possession; and, as if feeling aware of
the fact, it lives in the tops of tall trees, in the deepest forest,
among the most inaccessible ravines. But wary though it be, one
characteristic lures it to destruction--curiosity. A European hunter in
his unfamiliar dress is an irresistible attraction; nearer and nearer it
comes, hopping from branch to branch, pau