this volume, engraven by Le Brun, was one of fix feized on the
coaft of New Guinea in 1706, by the commander o f the Vink, a
Dutch iliip, who brought them to Batavia, where they were
treated with great humanity; it having been the deftgn o f the
Dutch to fend them back to their own country, in order to conciliate
the affections o f the natives. The Papuans trade' in their
brother Papuans, and carry them to any chance cuitomers they
may meet with. Captain Forreji met with a boat with only four
men, two of which were flaves for fale; each had round his
neck a rattan collar, with a log o f wood cut into the form o f a
fugar loaf, and o f five or fix pound weight, pendant behind.
Thefe were offered very cheap to the captain, but he declined
the purchafe. He feems to have been before provided, for he
tells us * he bought a linguift at Towl.
I a m reminded o f the ornithology o f New Guinea and the
Papuan iflands, by the curious birds, which make another article
o f commerce ; nature here grows voluptuouily rich in the
fprms o f various of the feathered tribe which wanton in its
fpicy air. The birds o f Paradife, the grand Pfomerops, and a
few other fpecies, are diftinguifhed by fome eccentricity of plumage.
I ihall continue my account o f the former as the moft
eminent, and refer to p. 148 for the preface to the genus, and
hiftory o f the firft fpecies. I ihall refume the fubjeit with the
Sbague, a fmaller bird of Paradife t , differing from the former
chiefly in lize ; it has all the char afters o f the common, but its
colors are lefs bright; the back is of a greyifh yellow, bill lead
color.
* P. 100. I Forreft’s Vo y .13 7 , Latham, ii. 474*
T h i s
T h i s inhabits the Papuan ifles only; a chain which extends
from the fouth end o f Gilolo, to the weft extremity o f New Guinea.
They never migrate, but rooft on the loftieft trees of the moll
mountanous parts o f the country, and are likewife faid to have
their king or leader. They are ihot with blunt arrows by the
natives o f Mixoal; others fay, that when the natives obferve
where they come to drink, they poifon the water with the Cocculi
Indici, which fo ftupifies them that they are caught readily.
They love to feed on the fruit o f the TJbampedeb, which they
pierce with their bills, and extrafl the kernel. The natives pre-
ferve them by drawing the entrails, and fearing the infide with
a hot iron, after which they put them in the hollow o f a bamboo
for their fecurity. The Papuans call them Shag or Sbague.
They differ from, the former in being refidentiary birds, other-
wife I might have been tempted to have joined this and the
former as varieties. They likewife might clame the title o f
Manu-co Dewata, for like the preceding, they afpire to the
heavenly regions. A fable (not unlike part o f that o f the Phx-
nix) is related o f this fpecies, that when it finds its end approaching,
it foars direftly up to the fun, till exhaufted with its flight,
it falls dead upon the earth.
Magnificent; de Buffon, iii. 166. PI. Enl. 631. Sonn. N. Guinee,
163. tab. 98. Latbam, ii. 477. tab. xix; inhabits New Guinea; I
ihall not trouble the reader with defcription, but refer to the
beautiful figure given by Mr. Latbam.
Crefied', Manucodiata cirrbata, Aldr. lib. xii. c. 25. p. 401; with
a long black bill fomewhat hooked; at the junction o f the bill,
the feathers were yellow; head, neck, and wings black; near
E e 2 the
M a g n i f i c e n t .
C r e s t e d .