George Matthews Bennett

“ I heard the male of this bird, in the aviary, utter a very sweet, mild, and harmonious, whistling note, as it strutted about proudly, arrayed in its elegant plumage; occasionally approaching near the wires of its habitation, to let the visitors notice and admire him. The ends of the longest feathers of the tail in the living specimen were broken, although in this place of confinement there is much extent for his movements; but the feathers are too long ever to expect them to be preserved perfect in any confined place. ”

“ Of all the trees, beautiful either in form, height, or the splendid colour of their flowers, so profusely scattered over the face of nature in tropical climes, perhaps none has excited more interest, both for its elegant and majestic growth, as well as for its utility, than this palm, producing fruit, shade, utensils, and numerous other articles, to supply the wants of mankind. These palms impart a grandeur to the tropical landscape; their stems, towering to a great elevation, are crowned at the summit by elegant fronds of gigantic character ”

“ It is delightful to visit the aviary at a very early hour in the morning, when the whole of the inhabitants are in the greatest confusion, the servants busily engaged in cleaning the habitation, and giving supplies of food to the colony; the “plumy people” appear in the plenitude of [53] happiness, hopping from branch to branch, or running along the ground, their little throats strain with harmony: the soft cooing of the numerous pigeon tribe is heard as well as the quacking sounds of the duck tribe, who are not gifted with any other more harmonious notes. ”

“ His countenance, at all times a figure of fun, now had terror added to it, increasing the delineation of beauty; and when the poor beast had been dragged some distance up the rigging, Ungka, tired of his labour, would suddenly let go his hold on the tail, when it would require some skill on the part of the monkey to seize a rope, to prevent his receiving a compound fracture by a rapid descent on deck. Ungka, having himself no caudal extremity, knew well that he was perfectly free from any retaliation on the part of his opponents. ”

“ Before reaching the grave, the eye is charmed by the deep glens, plantations, and neat houses. The furze-bushes with their yellow blossoms, the bramble, and other European plants, reminded the voyager of home and all its endearing charms. The hedges of the aloe, with its high stem surmounted by clusters of flowers, together with the carolling of the numerous birds from all countries, which had been introduced and set at liberty on the island, increased the delight which had been already experienced. ”

“ Taking rambles over the narrow streets of the suburbs of Canton, filled with elegant shops, strictly Chinese, with the various gilded signs, I witnessed a very novel and agreeable sight to a stranger: every thing assumed a different appearance to that seen in any other country: the narrow and crowded streets, hardly afford a passage for two persons abreast, and the constant passing and repassing of porters with their burdens, bawling out to clear the way, is annoying to passengers. ”

“ He delights to be sheltered from the glare of the sun, as that luminary is a great source of annoyance to him, if permitted to dart its fervent rays directly upon the cage. The iris frequently expanding and contracting, adds to the arch, wicked look of this animated bird, as he throws the head on one side to glance at visitors, uttering [48] the cawing notes, or barking aloud, to the astonishment of the auditors, who regard the bird as being in a very great rage at something or other beyond their conception. ”

“ He could not endure disappointment, and, like the human species, was always better pleased when he had his own way; when refused or disappointed at anything, he would display the freaks of temper of a spoiled child; lie on the deck, roll about, throw his arms and legs in various attitudes and directions, dash every thing aside that might be within his reach, walk hurriedly, repeat the same scene over and over again, and utter the guttural notes of ra, ra ”

“ When we contemplate the vegetable productions of nature, we find that they impart a tranquillity to the mind, which the animal kingdom, ever slaves to conflicting passions, can never produce;—when suffering from violent emotions, an indescribable degree of repose is felt while viewing the tranquil but beautiful scene of a well-furnished garden, or the more magnificent grandeur of forest scenery. ”

“ At the Island of Rótuma, South Pacific Ocean, I have seen them ranged along in great numbers before the huts, the young plants growing luxuriantly from the nuts, but as yet unplanted. At this island the cocoa-nut tree is planted abundantly, and covers the island profusely, from the margin of the beach to the summits of the hills, giving a beautiful appearance to this small but fertile island. In time of sickness the natives often make use of the young cocoa-nut trees as offerings to the supposed offended spirits. ”

“ He would pace the deck, being held by his long arm; and then had a resemblance to a child just learning to step. The limbs, from their muscular and strong prehensile power, render the animal a fit inhabitant for the forest; enabling him to spring from tree to tree with an agility that we have frequently witnessed him display about the rigging of the ship: he would pass down the backstays, sometimes hanging by his hands, at others walking down them in the erect posture, like a rope-dancer, balancing himself by his long arms ”

“ On landing, usually upon a sandy beach, or rocks of granite, shell-fish, and other marine animals, were very scarce. The hills were covered, about the declivities, with a large quantity of shrubs and plants, and a variety of grasses: the summits were usually barren, and covered with sand. Two or three species of Melastoma were very abundant; and one species, the quinquenervia, was in full flower, being beautifully covered with a profusion of large rose-coloured blossoms, forming a contrast, by their brilliancy, to the dull, uninteresting character of the vegetation around. ”

“ As the sun rose and diffused its rays around, a great number of butterflies, beetles, and other insects passed away in enjoyment their short fleeting lives, and revelled upon the sweets the flowers contained. A lofty species of Pandanus, named by the Malays Ninpuan, was very abundant in moist situations; it rose with its long foliage bending at the extremities, and as the tree increased in elevation it bore a closer resemblance to the growth of the palm tree, and attained the height of forty and fifty feet. ”

“ As the shades of evening close in, the aviary is again in a bustle, the birds setting themselves in their various roosting places for the night, and keeping up a continual chattering, until the [54] whole colony is buried in silence and hidden in darkness. The Paradise Bird then sits tranquilly upon his perch, and no more greets the stranger, but stares in stupid amazement at the late visit. The cages of this, and the other birds in the verandah, are very carefully covered up at night to protect them from cats, or any other midnight prowlers. ”

“ On the following day we entered the “Cap, sing, moon,” for a short time: it is regarded as a safe and is certainly a picturesque harbour, but lately it has been left by many of the opium ships for another, by some considered a safer harbour, and called the “Cum, sing, moon,” formed by different islands, and the main land [21] to the northward of Macao, and distant about eighteen miles from that settlement. The “Cap, sing, moon,” has some towering verdant mountains, with fertile valleys, and little thatched cottages of fishermen and others, peering through a thicket of foliage. ”

“ We did not proceed far before we landed among some Malay houses, surrounded with numerous palm, fruit, and flower trees; among which the lofty Jack tree, with its enormous fruit pending from the trunk or larger branches, the feathered cocoa palm, the erect Areka palm, a beautiful shrub of Hibiscus rosa-chinensis covered by a profusion of large flowers of a delicate nankin colour, and several large trees of the Bixa orellana, or arnotto of commerce, the Cashumpa of the Malays, (some of whom occasionally used it as a dye,) were numerous. ”

“ But since the snake, the kind snake, the shelterer of the god Budhoo, when on earth, has thrice partaken of thy drink, thou wilt derive health and long life by obeying the commands which I now bear thee. In that direction (pointing towards the south) lies thy remedy. One hundred hours’ journey will bring thee to those trees, which thou shalt see in reality, and taste their fruits to thy benefit. But as on the top only it is produced, by fire it must be obtained. ”

“ On the 10th we were off Hong Kong Island. It is lofty, bold, and occasionally its barren appearance is diversified by the verdure of the ferns and other plants, which give some beauty to the huge piles of rocks, towering towards the heavens, in gently sloping as well as abrupt declivities. ”

“ From this picturesque little spot we proceeded through a jungle of lofty grasses and shrubs, with elevated trees rising from the dense mass; a sedge grass bearing a beautiful silvery inflorescence, the Flemingea, Melastoma, different species of Nauclea, and numerous ferns were seen; of the latter, among other elegant species, was the widely-spread Gleichenia Hermanni, attaining the elevation amid the wilderness of six and eight feet, and Blechnum, Polypodium, Lycopodium, were mingled with others, adding to the denseness of the vegetation. ”

“ As far as gardening, or laying out a garden is concerned, these people possess any thing but the idea of beauty or true taste, neither being in the least degree attended to in the arrangement of their gardens; every thing bears the semblance of being stiff, awkward, and perfectly unnatural. To distort nature a Chinese seems to consider the attainment of perfection.
At these gardens the different species and varieties of the tea shrub, both in seeds and young plants, can be procured. According to Chinese botany there exist many varieties as well as species of the tea shrub. ”

“ It is interesting to see the natives ascend this lofty palm, to gather its fruit: they simply fasten a piece of bark round their feet, leaving between them a space of a few inches; they then clasp the tree, and ascend with great agility. In throwing down the nuts, a whirling motion is usually [336] given to prevent their falling on the side, by which they may be burst.
The natives of the island of Tahiti, in one of their traditions, ascribe the origin of the cocoa-nut to its having grown from the head of a man: they have similar traditions for the origin of the bread-fruit, yams, &c. ”

“ Indigenous to the Sandwich Islands is a species of Myóporum, (M. tenuifòlium,) the heart of which is fragrant; and, from having been mistaken for sandal-wood, has received the name of spurious sandal-wood from Europeans, and is called Naiho, or Naihio, by the natives. The heart contains a quantity of essential oil; but the fragrance is not so agreeable as that derived from the sandal-wood, and for that reason it is not esteemed in the Chinese market; the heart is also surrounded by a lighter wood, termed the sap, as in the sandal-wood tree. ”

“ A curious circumstance with regard to this bird is, that when irritated, the feathers of its cheeks are separated, so as to display a beautiful stripe of naked orange skin, running from the corners of the mouth towards the back of the head. All these birds nourish their young by disgorging the contents of their stomach. They are never observed to carry any article of food in their bill: those matters indeed, from which they derive the chief part of their sustenance, the blubber of dead whales, seals, and sea lions, would melt away if carried in the bill to any distance. ”

“ Numerous eager gazers are all [373] ready assembled on the poop of the vessel to receive the stranger; where, on its arrival, it remains the patient, stupid-looking subject of a hundred passing remarks: the ladies give their due share of praise to its large bright eyes, fine sleek and clean plumage; the expansion of wings is duly measured, the bird, during the time remaining sitting in a quiet manner, appearing very sulky, and apparently unmindful of all around, until a few practical jokes keep its bright eyes on the alert against all personal attacks. ”

“ The plumage accords with the description given in our works of natural history of this bird. Some bird-fanciers observe, that they can distinguish male from female birds by the sub-scapular feathers near the base; the male birds having always an odd number—as five, seven, nine, eleven; and the females always an even number—as six, eight, twelve, &c., according to the species. But, examining, on a subsequent occasion, a male specimen of this bird, I found no difference of plumage, so as to form a sexual distinction. ”

“ Here, then, I was led to expect some explanation of the cause of obstruction, which had no doubt occasioned the death of the bird. I laid open, with my scalpel, the slightly-distended intestine just below or about the pyloric orifice. The cause of the obstruction was made evident, by the appearance of a polypus, which came out, being situated just below the part which was distended, evidently forming the cause of obstruction to the passage of the digested food. This polypus measured, in length, two inches and six-eighths; and in its greatest breadth, three-eighths of an inch. ”

“ The Mandarin Teal, or Een-yêong of the Chinese, is also much and justly admired. The plumage of the drake is remarkably elegant, that of the female plain and undecorated. The male bird, however, during four months of the year, that is, from May to August, changes its beautiful plumage, and bears a close resemblance, at that time, to the female. This change is not confined solely to the tints of the feathers, but extends even to the epidermis of the mandibles. This bird, unlike the tribe, generally roosts in elevated situations, upon trees, high rocks, or over the windows of the aviary. ”