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12 THE SOUTHERN WORLD, AUGUST 15, 1882. *• The world, dear child, !■ as we take It, and Life, he jure, li what we make It" Crowned Pigeon*. The largest of the Columbia are the crowned and fan pigeons, and so unlike are they to the other members of the order, that they have been classed with another family, the Qoueidrr, of which there are three varieties inhabiting New Guinea and the neighbor* ing islands. They are large, of heavy build, and have long bills of almost uniform thick ness, enlarged a trifle at the extreme point. The Crowned Pigeon (Qoura Coronata) has a length of about W'A inches, the wings are nearly fifteen inches and the tail is a little over ten inches long. The plumage is light slate blue at the lower back, darker on the wings and tail. The larger wing-colored feathers are white in the center, making a longitudinal band, black at the root and reddish brown at the point. The eyes ure scarlet, the bill is of a dusty horn color, the feet are red and covered with a whitish dust. The color of the somewhat larger fan pigeon (Qoura Victor hie) is also mostly slate blue; the under side is chestnut brown, the band on the wings bluish gray and that on the tail whitish-gray. The feathers of the crest arc thread-like, and have'a three-cor nered fan at the point. The eyes are bright red and the feet flesh-color. Europe. This has given rise to the errone ous statement that it is also a native of the above islands. The fan pigeon seems to be even rarer, and inhabits the more southern localities of New Guinea. A Fairy Komnnce. Another favorite romance of the middle ages, or the days of chivalry and tourna ments, is that of “ Mungis O'Agremont and Vivian, his Son.” Mangis was the son of Cuke Bevis, of Agremont, and was stolen by a faithless servant from his home. As she was carrying the child off, she became overcome with drowsiness, and went to sleep under a white thorn. While she was lying there, she was devoured by a lion and a leopard, who killed one another in their tight for the infant. While the babe was lying under the white thorn, Orianda, a famous fairy, came that way, and seeing the little innocent, took it home with her, nam ing it Mangis, or mal gut, from the wretched bed it laid on. Finding, by a precious ring in his ear, that he was of noble lineage, she sent for her nephew, Espict, a dwarf three feet high, whose hair was yellow, and shin ing as tine gold, and who although over a century old, did not look more than seven. This Espict, like all dwarfs of romance, was an awful wicked creature—indeed as wicked as though he h d been a full grown man of six feet, which Roger d'Estrange says is gen erally the bight of very wicked men, a fact which is very consoling to all who are of the average altitude of Ave feet eight. this remarkable work of the middle ages. Sir Launfal was one of the knights of Arthur, who loved him so well and trusted him so much that he made him his steward. But when king Arthur married the beauti ful, but frail Guennere, daughter of Ryon, King of Ireland, Lannfal and sundry other virtuous knights of the Round Table, mani fested their regretful displeasure when she came to court The queen, who exercises the utmost con trol over her husband was aware of this, and at the first entertainment given by the king, she gave to all the Knights some token of her regard, alone excepting Sir Launfal. I.aunfal, under the sting of this slight, un der the feigned pretext of the illness of his father, takes leave of the king and returns to Karlyoun, where he lives in great obscur ity and poverty. Riding into a fair forest one day, overcome by the heat, he lay down under the shade of a spreading tree, and meditated upon his forlorn condition. He is aroused from this painful reverie by the advance of two fair damsels, splendidly arrayed. As an example ot the early En glish metrical romance, we will give a short extract: “ Their faces were white as snow, or down, 'Complexion red, their eyes were brown, I never saw more stiicbe. One bore of gold a great basin, Tbe other a towel, white and fine, Of silk that was good and rich; Their kerchiefs were both rich and dear, And striped well with rich gold wire— Launfal began to slche— They came to him across the heath— Dame Tryamour, returns to the court of King Arthur, and charms and astonishes all by his magnificence and generosity. Gne day the queen, who had formerly slighted him, sees him dancing with some ladies and other knights, in the green mead before her tower. She falls in love with him on the spot, and sending for him into her bower, makes such violent love to him, that, in order to put an end to all such dreams of her for the future, he tells her that his heart and faith are given to a dame, the foulest of whose maidens surpassed the queen in beauty. The rage of the queen at this impudent—and, stern moralists as we are, we must add impolite assertion—is so great that her love is transferred into the fiercest hate; for as Shakespeare says: “ Hell bus no fury like a woman’s scorn and consequently, upon her husband, King Arthur, returning from the chase which he had been engaged in, while his frail queen was making love to Launfal, she burst into tears, and like Mrs. Fotiphar, accused our immaculate knight, Launfal, with having attempted her honor. The queen’s words, backed by her tears, is credited, and the unhappy knight is con demned to be burned alive, unless he shall, against a certain day, produce that peerless lady whose beauty is so great that even her foulest handmaids are lovelier than the far- famed Queen of King Arthur. The fatal day arrives; the queen is urgent for the execu tion of the sentence, as nothing else will_sat- isfy her wounded honor. ^ * s prepared j CROWNED PIGEONS. The crowned pigeon is found in large numbers on the coast of New Guinea, also on the islands of Waigiu, Sulawati and Misul. Here its mode of living is much like that of the pheasant; in small packs it strolls through the woods, and prefers to keep to the ground. As early us 1690 Mr. Dumpier observed the crowned pigeon at its home; later many were brought to the East Iudies and the Sunda Islands, and were there kept in the poultry yards us common fowls. Some were brought to England and Holland and kept as curiosities. Tberearc now quite a number of these pigeons in the zoological gardens of Holland. They are easily kept on common food, und winter without harm in sheltered rooms. In the zoological gar dens of Regent’s Park they propagate regu larly. In the wild state Urn pigeon builds its nest iq.u tree and lays two eggs. Its flesh is spoken highly of by those who have eaten it. “The cry of this bird," says Wood, “ is loud and sonorous, and not very easy of de scription. Some authors compare it to the gobbling of a turkey-cock, but I can per ceive no resemblance to that sound. It is more of a loud, holllow boom than any thing else, and every time that the bird ut ters this note, it bows its head so low that the crest sweeps the ground.” Often crowned pigeons are brought alive to Ambolna, Banda, Java, and from there to Espict told Orianda, the fairy, whose son he was, and the fuiry, instead of tukinghim home to his disconsolate parents, as she ought to have done, kept him in her castle of Koscfleur, and lmd him carefully educated in all that became a chivalrous knight. When he became a man she clad him in the most splendid armor, and inude him her lover. It is said he returned her love with equal ardor, for as faries never look old, he did not perceive the disparity of years be tween them, which must hure been some what over a hundred years. The first adven ture of Mangis was the capture of tbe en chanted horse, Bagard, in the Island of Boucant. On his return from this achieve tucnl he overcomes and sluys the Saracen Admiral Artherer, who bad come to win the lauds aud castle of Orianda; he hud also took from the Saracen a famous sword, called Flamberge, which, with his enchained horse, Bagard, made Mangis approaching the invulnerable. But such was his nob’.e generosity that he made them both, some time afterwars, a present to his cousin Ren- aud. There is a curious mixture of animal passion and elevated sentiment in these ro mances which has its sublimation in Don Quixote. But in no romance is the fairy machinery more elaborately displayed than in Sir Launfal. We will give’ a brief analysis of llo was a courteous knlzlit ami rose Greeting them mildly.’’ They invite him to visit their mistress, Dame Tryuiuour, whose pavilion is close at hand. He accepts the invitation, and is as tonished at the magnificence of the pavilion and the beauty of their mistress, the peer- lees Dame Tryamour, whom the poet says: ” She was as white as a lllly In May, Or snow that snoweth lu a winter’s day, And the glance that your glance met, Was like light from a living violet. Her hair It shone aa golden braid, llui mortal tougue it has never said. One half her beauty's dower.’’ This beautiful dame bestowed her heart to Sir Launfal, on condition of his fidelity. As a token of her love, she gave him a never fulling purse and other valuable presents. After a lengthened interview of the utmost tenderness, she allowed him to depart next morning telling him that whenever he wish ed to see her he bad only to retire into a se cluded place, and wish for her, with his eyes closed, with all his heart, and that swift as thought she would be with him. A more delicate and striking illustration of the powers of imagination has seldom been made by any poet. With an injunction of the greatest secresy os to their mutual en dearments, they part. Tbe knight, thus replenished with his ex- baustless purse, and radiant in the con- -ciouanesa of the love of the beautiful fairy, tlie scaffold is erected; the headsmen is all ready, with his glittering axe. With a se date step, and wearing a countenance full of dignity, Sir Launfal is led forth. On the dais, surrounded by her maids of honor, the implacable wanton, Queen Guennere, who seemsto inherit all the vindictiveness of the Celtic race, sits waiting for the consum mation of her vengcunce. At this minute a flourish of trumpets of antonishing loud ness and silvery sweetness is heard. The music seems to take possession ot the air, and enchains all. The next minute ten damsels, arrayed in the most exquisite man ner, and mounted on ten splendid palfreys magnificently caparisoned, ride up and an nounce to King Arthur that their sovereign mistress, Tryamour is at hand. She comes riding on a beautiful steed, surrounded by great state, while by her side is a horse richly dight, but with no rider. At sight of her they all confess that Sir Launfal has justified his assertion. The wanton queen drops her head for shame, and has the agony of be holding the Lady Tryamour invite Sir Laun fal to mount the horse she had brought for him; and so, side by side, Tryamoue and Launfal, followed by their attendants, ride away into the green foresia, and are never seen again. So ends one of the most charming allegori cal romances in the English language.