II．THE BIRD OF PARADISE

II．天堂鸟

If you turn now to the map of Asia, you will find a number of islands lying to the south of Malacca,

如果你打开亚洲地图，会发现马六甲南端分布着很多岛屿，

and forming a link between Asia and Australia。

成为连接亚洲和澳大利亚的纽带。

These islands are in the very midst of the Tropics.

这些岛屿位于热带地区的最中心，

The warm tropical seas bathe their coasts; and dark, dense forests, cover many of them from the sea-shore to the top of the highest mountain.

这些温暖的热带海洋浸润着它们的海岸线，从海岸线一直到最高的山顶，有很多地方都被幽深茂密的丛林所覆盖。

One of the largest of these islands, called New Guinea, and a few small islands near it, are the home of the splendid Bird of Paradise.

这些岛屿中最大的一个叫做新几内亚岛，附近还环绕着一些小岛，这里是神奇的天堂鸟的家园。

These birds live nowhere else. The natives call them God's Birds, because they think them more splendid than any other that he has made.

其他地方都没有这种鸟，当地人称它们为上帝之鸟，因为他们觉得这些鸟比上帝创造出来的其他鸟都要更美丽。

The head and neck of the Bird of Paradise are as soft as velvet, and of a golden tint, that changes,

天堂鸟的头和脖子像天鹅绒一样柔软，还有可以变化的金黄色。

while you are looking at it, into all the colours of the rainbow. Its tail is a magnificent plume of fairy-like feathers,

当你看着它时，它会变成彩虹的颜色。它尾巴上的羽毛像仙子的霓裳华衣一样美丽，

partly white and partly yellow, so that you might think they were made of silver and gold.

部分是白色，部分是黄色，或许你会觉得它们是由金银制成的。

This plume is very much longer than the body, and makes the bird appear larger than it is; for in reality it is only about the size of a pigeon.

羽毛比身体长很多，让这种鸟看起来比实际大小更大些。事实上，它仅有鸽子那么大。

We can hardly fancy a flock of these beautiful birds upon the wing, floating at their ease, or pursuing the insects of various kinds that serve them for food.

我们很难想象这么一大群美丽的鸟，或是飞翔，或无拘无束地飘动，或捕食各种昆虫。

But this is no uncommon sight in that land of flowers and spices—a land that seems exactly fitted to be the home of the Bird of Paradise。

但是在那片满是鲜花与香料的岛上，这是个很常见的景象，这个小岛看起来十分适合做天堂鸟的家园。