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ON THE EGGS OF THE FAliJ DISEIBAE. 



P.V ERNST IIAIiTERT, Ph.D. 

 ( Plate X.) 



EGGS of the " Birds of Paradise" wero, until recently, very little known, ami 

 poorly represented in collections. At the present moment the Tring Museniu 

 possesses, in addition to the most complete and finest collection of skins of the 

 Paradiseidae., also the best collection of their eggs. On Plate X. eggs of the species 

 at present represented at Tring are figured. 



The first egg of a real Paradise-bird of the genus P'iradisea described was 

 that of Faradisen nigyiaiia from P>ritish New Guinea, described by Mr. E. P. 

 liamsay in the Proceedings oj the Liiiiiean Societ;/ of New South Wales, vol. viii. 

 1883. p. 26. To this Dr. A. B. Meyer added a description and rather poor figure 

 of that of P. apoda from Am (Zeitschr. ges. Orn. i. 1884. p. 293. pi. xvii. fig. 2), 

 and iu 1893 {Ib/'s p. 481. pi. xiii.) that of Paradisea at/gi(.^tae-virtor/ae. 



In the second edition of the catalogue of the eggs in Mr. Ad. Nchrkorn's 

 collection— supposed to be the largest collection of eggs next to that of the British 

 Museum — the eggs of Ptilorhis alberti, Paradisea aiigustae-rictoriae, Phonyga minus 

 jamexi, Maiiucodia afra, Manucodia chabjhata orientalis, and Lijcocorru- ohirnsis are 

 described. 



Mr. Uothschild's collection contains at present eggs of 23 forms of I'aradiscidue, 

 the Bower-birds included. 



At a glance at the eggs on the jilate or iu the collection it is apparent that 

 these eggs are of three totally different types: — (1) Uniform cream- colour : most 

 of the "Bower-birds," such as Aduroedus, Scenopoeetes, and I'rioiiodtn-ii. (2) 

 Scribbled densely all over : the genus Chlami/dera, also belonging to the " Bower- 

 birds." (3) Spotted, and in most cases longitudinally sjilashed : all true Paradisea 

 and their nearest allies, such as Paradisea, Ptilorhis, Seleticiiles, l.ophovinn, 

 Mnnwodia, Phomjgammas, and Parotia — the last three not so distinctly splashed 

 longitudinally, but more spotted in the ordinary way. 



Of tlie third category another subdivision might be made : the strikingly 

 longitudinally splasheil eggs of Paradisea, J'tilarhis, Seleiteides, and Astra pia, and 

 one might add Lophorina, the spotted and less (if at all) longitudinally marked 

 ei'gs of Manucodia, the eggs of Phoiii/gammus, with the character of many ^feli- 

 pkagidae rather strikingly pronounced, and the somewliat singular egg of Farotia. 



Ptilonorhynchus violaceus (V lei II.). 



See : Campljull, .V,'w/< >iwl &/,7» Aiislia'. II. p. 101. pi. ix. (19.11) ; North, X.-^h ami I-'.'J'Jh i. p. 'M). 



The nest is an ojien shallow structure made of twigs and lined with leaves. 

 The two or three eggs are of a dark cream to dirty yellow brownish colour, sjwtted 

 with cinnamon-brown and underlying purplish grey spots. 



We have received from Mr. 11. Mnnt one of the eggs from Mr. (). (_'ii[)e's 

 collection. ^Vith the (■xcei]ti()n ol'thc two in Jlr. Minit's possession, this is )inibal)ly 

 the only egg of the Satin Bower-binl in this counlry. Onr sjiecinien measures 

 34-7 X 284 mm. 



