There is an Indian bird, the name of which has unfortunately escaped us,
that is feigned to live only on the rain-drops which it can draw with its
bill from the clouds; in a dry season, therefore, this bird perishes. Of
the _Bird of Paradise_ the following wonders were once credited: viz. that
the egg was laid in the air by the female, and there hatched by the male
in an orifice of his body; that it had no legs (these however are long,
and a disfigurement to the body, which the Indians know, and fearful of
their depreciating the value of the bird, upon capturing it, cut them off);
that it hung itself by the two long feathers of its tail on a tree when
sleeping; that it never touched the ground during any period of its
existence, and fed wholly on dew. The Indians also believe that the leader,
or king of the birds of paradise is black, with red spots, and that he
soars far away from the rest of the flock, which, however, never quit him,
but settle where he does. The _Gigantic Crane_ is believed by the Indians
to be invulnerable, and animated by the souls of deceased Brahmins; the
Africans hold it in equal veneration.
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