ists mostly of feathers, which are
extremely beautiful, rendering it one of the greatest curiosities in
the world. The plumage of the head is as bright as burnished gold;
that of the neck resembles the neck of a drake; and those of the wings
and tail are like those of a peacock. In beak and form, this bird
comes nearest to a swallow, though considerably larger. Such as deal
in them endeavour to persuade strangers that they have no feet, and
that they hang themselves, when they sleep, to the boughs of trees by
means of their feathers. But, in reality, these traders cut off their
feet, to render them the more wonderful. They also pretend that the
male has a cavity on his back, where the female lodges her young till
they are able to fly. They always cut off the feet of these birds so
close to the body, that the flesh dries in such a manner that the skin
and feathers perfectly unite, making it impossible to perceive the
smallest scar. They also assert, that these birds are perpetually on
the wing, subsisting on birds and insects, which they catch in the
air. The feathers of the male are much brighter than those of the
female. In the east, this bird is usually called _Mancodiata_, or the
Bird-of-God. Great numbers of them are sent to Batavia, where they
generally sell for three crowns each. The Moors, Arabians, and
Persians are anxious to procure these birds, with which they adorn
their saddles and housings, often mixing with them pearls and
diamonds. They wear them also in their turbans, especially on going
to war, having a superstitious notion that they act as a charm or
talisman, capable of preserving them from wounds. Formerly, the Shah
and Mogul used to present their favourites with one of these birds, as
a mark of esteem or favour.

[Footnote 5: Perhaps ambergris ought to be here understood.--E.]

Besides their girdle and bracelets, formerly mentioned, the _Popoes_,
or inhabitants of the Thousand Isles, wear a bit of stick, the size of
a tobacco-pipe and the length of a finger, thrust through the gristle
of the nose, which they think renders them terrible to their enemies,
as some Europeans consider mustachios. They are the worst and most
savage people in all the South Seas. The continent of _New Guinea_
appeared a high country, extremely full of trees and plants of a vast
variety of kinds, so that, in sailing 400 leagues along its coast,
they did not observe one barren spot. Our author thinks that it
probably contai