Studies in Natural History: The Bride.

Otago Witness, Issue 2649, 21 December 1904, Page 87

Studies in Natural History: The Bride.

(By Dobotht Dis.)

I We will now turn our attention to the study of a beautiful bn-d that is, without doubt, the most conceited and complacent creature in the world. This is called the Bride, and few things are more diverting than to watch the amusing .^lir of importance and of having pulled off a good thing that it exhibits. The Bride is found in all parts of the globe, but its favourite habitat is in Oriental countries, where it is regarded with such favour that it is the custom to keep a fleck of the pretty little creatures about the house, wealthy pashas, in especial, vying with each other in the number and variety of their collection. It snould be said, though, in this connection that -the species corralled in these Eastern henneries is much more amiable than the. kind that is indigenous to America,- where it is impossible to have even two about the premises without their pecking each other's . eyes out and scattering feathers all ovzv the place. il'mm its gorgeous plumage, and the fact that it is entirely useless except to sit on a perch' and show off to visitors, it has been thought that the Bride is the original Bird of -'Paradise. It is likewise believed that Adam discovered the first one, and that, attracted by its beauty, he pursued and captured it, and that it was owing to his efforts to tame it and convert it into a domesic fowl that he acquired dyspepsia, and got the original grouch against life. This is extremely interesting, if true, as to this very day men are still engaged in the same pursuit of birds of paradise with similar unfortunate results to their digestions, and it is contended that no man eve-r asks ''Is life worth living?" until after he acquires a Bride. 1 Ornithologists have experienced much 1 difficulty in definitely classifying the "Bride, some holding that as it appears to think it is' alone in the world, and' that nohody is ridiculing it as it does free variety turns, lit belongs to the ostrich tribe (genus feminis spectaculis), while others contend, with equal reason, that its general behaviour entitles it to rank among the best known specimens of donkeys (genus feminis foolis). In appearance, as has been said, the Bride is extremely good-looking, and of such distinctive ear-marks that it can be ] recognised a mile away. Its feathers are .' always new and .glossy, and of an ex- ! tremely light colour, and it sheds rice at ' every step. Occasionally one sees elderly 1 and homely Brides, -but these are always , Bird's whose nests have been so well lined : that a .man could afford to overlook their ] lack of beauty. 1 The habits of the Bride are most interesting, but unfortunately we have little ! reliable data on the subject, owing to the I fact that few people have strong enough • nerves to watch one of these birds for long -Utfr a time without getting woozy. From * the most authentic sources, however, we ' learn that they spend most of their time cooing and billing and kis-sing, and insist on nestling down on their owners' shoiilders in public places. This latter peculiarity scientists have been unable to explain, as frequently the Bride is large, and heavy, and muscular, and apparently able to take its owner up under its wing and fly off with him. I The Bride has also an extremely sweet j voice, though it is possessed' of so little intelligence it only utters incoherent sounds ' and unintelligible words, like "Oo& 00 I Du.cky Daddie?" 'Ts 00 Ducky Dad'die!" "Ow dare 00 be so handsome !"' etc. Pullman ear porters, drummers, and other reliable scientists, to whom we are indebted for much valuable information about this bird, aver that it will utter these same strange sounds for a hundred miles at a stretch, without even pausing to take breath or get its second wind l . ! After a while a man is apt to weary of this and try to shake his Bride, whereupon the affectionate little creature, whose staying powers we cannot sufficiently admire, \ begins to weep and threaten to fly home ,to mother. This causes the. man to call 1 himself a brute, and 1 allow his little birdie to begin to arrange his hair in public again, which is its favourite amusement. I The chief peculiarity of the Bride is its ability to take pride in any sort of an ! owner. No matter how fat, bald-headed, { ungainly, and ugly he may be, the Bride { goes strutting about with an appearance j of having captured the chief prize in the matrimonial market. It also, at first, thinks its owner the wisest person in the world, but this state of mind is merely temporary, Tin Wedding Brides often wondering what made them do it. Historians assert that at one time the Bride was 'such a shy birdi that it took great skill to capture one, but they have now, become 50 tame that they will aot

only come up and eat out of a man's hand, but in some places are so plentiful that eligible bachelors have to erect scarecrows to shoo them off. A tradition exists that the coming of a Bride to a house brings good luck, and enables a man to live on half of what he did when single. This is a superstition that has led thousand's into bankruptcy, the truth being that a Bride is a most expensive household' pet. Frequentij r , however, they are worth the price. The collection ot Brides daily on view at the Waldorf-Astoria is one of the wonders o£ the world, and should ot no account be missed by the earnest student of Natural History.