ome enough," he said, "but there's
nothing of 'em. This one's grand. Now, if I could only find that there
chopper as Pete lost--"

"Didn't lose it," growled Pete.

"--I should be," continued the carpenter, severely, "a happy man.
Aren't you, sir?"

"No," I said; "nor shall be till I shoot some with tails three feet
long."

The finding of this specimen completely, as I have said, changed our
plans.

"It would be folly to go away now, Nat," repeated my uncle, "for at any
moment we may find quite a flock."

This was one afternoon, when we had returned after an unsuccessful hunt,
to take out our treasure and gloat over its wonderful plumage.

"Yes," I said; "but it's very tiresome, all this failure. Perhaps this
is the only one for hundreds of miles."

"Nonsense!" cried my uncle. "I daresay, if the truth were known, we
pass scores of them every day, sitting after the fashion of these
trogons, perfectly still like a ball of feathers, watching us, and with
their green plumage so like that of the leaves that we might go by
hundreds of times and not see them."

"Oh!" I cried, "we could not pass one of them. The sun would make
those beautiful golden-green wing coverts flash again."

"In the sunshine, my boy, but they rest in the deep shade. We shall
come upon them yet, and find out their habits. Then all will be easy.
Anyone searching for birds of paradise in New Guinea might go scores of
times without success, and come away and say there are none. Just as it
is in Australia: at one time of year flocks of the great white and
sulphur cockatoos can be found; at another time you may search the same
district for months and not see one."

"Yes, uncle," I said wearily, for I was tired after a long walk in the
hot sun pestered by flies; "and I suppose there are plenty of birds
about here that we have not seen. Why, of course, we haven't seen
Pete's wonderful specimen yet."

"No," said my uncle drily, "and I shall be very much surprised if we
ever do."

"Do you think there is nothing of the kind, then?" I said.

"I don't like to be positive, but I should say that he made that bird
out of his own head."

"Oh, I don't think so, uncle," I replied; "Pete's very honest and
straightforward."

"Yes, but he lets his brain run riot, Nat. He saw some bird, I do not
doubt, but not clothed and ornamented as he says."

"There are birds with brightly-coloured tails such as he said?"

"Are there?" said my uncle dri