7. PARADISE A. 167 



18G], p. 436, 1862, p. 436; IFall Ibis, 1859, p. Ill, 1861, p. 289; 



Schl. J.f. O. 1861, p. 384; id. Mus. P.-B. Coraces, p. 78; Wall. 



Malay Arch. ii. p. 238 ; Rosmb. J. f. O. 1864, p. 42 ; Gray, Hand-l. 



B. ii. p. 16 ; Elliot, Monogr. Farad, pi. 1 ; Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. 



Genov. ix. p. 191. 

 L'Oiseau de Paradis des Moluques, Biiff. PI. JErd. p. 190, pi. 254. 

 L'limeraude, Audeb. et Vieill. Ois. Dor. ii. p. 9. 

 Le Grand oiseau de Paradis emeraude, Levaill. M. N. Ois. Parad. i. 



pis. 1-3. 

 Paradisea major, Shaio, Gen. Zool. yii. p. 480, pi. 58 ; Less. Ois. 



Parad. Si/n. p. 6 ; id. H. N. p. 155, pi. 6. 

 Paradisea apoda, var. wallaciana, Gray, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 181. 



Adult male. General colour above raaroon-brown, including the 

 entire back and wings ; head and neck clothed in compressed thick- 

 set feathers of a straw-j'ellow colour, velvety in texture ; roimd the 

 eye a narrow line of black ; forehead, lores, cheeks, throat, and 

 fore neck dark metallic green, all the plumes close-set and velvet j-, 

 the forehead, lores, and chin having a velvety black appearance 

 under certain lights, and forming as it were a mask ; breast deep 

 purplish brown, shading gradually into maroon-brown on the 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts and inner 

 lining of wings maroon-brown ; tail maroon-brown like the back, 

 the two centre feathers enormously elongated into two wire-like 

 shafts about 30 inches long ; from the flanks spring two enormous 

 tufts of beautiful plumes, bright yellow for two thirds of their 

 length, and then shading into chocolate -brown, the shafts produced 

 at the tips of the feathers and white, the plumes towards their ex- 

 tremities very lax, the webs separate and very distinct ; at the base 

 of these side-tufts are several rigid plumes of bright j^eUow, some 

 of which end in blood-red, giving the appearance of being streaked 

 with blood-red ; bill lead-colour, inclining to greenish white at the 

 tip ; legs and feet flesh-colour. Total length 18 inches, culmen 1-6, 

 wing 9-35, tail 7*2, tarsus 2-2. 



Adult female. General colour all over maroon-brown, deepening 

 to purplish chestnut on the head, neck, and chest ; plumes of the 

 head close-set aud velvety, and the nape somewhat tinged with 

 straw-yellow ; flank-plumes lax and elongated, maroon-brown, like 

 the breast and abdomen ; two centre tail-feathers rather pointed. 

 Total length 15-3 inches, culmen 1-4.5, wing 7'5, tail 6-4, tarsus 1-85. 



Ohs. A young male can always be told from an old female by its 

 larger size. Total length 7*2 inches, culmen 1-6, wing 8-7, tail 7"1, 

 tarsus 2-2-i. The young male here measured exactly resembles the 

 foregoing old female in coloration ; but the size is very much larger. 

 They next get the yellow head and green throat and face, and the 

 two centre tail-feathers conunence to get elongated : the latter are 

 lengthened to their full thread-Uko extent, generally, however, with 

 a feathery tip, before the plumes on the flanks are at all developed. 

 The green throat does not extend so far in the young male as in the 

 old, and the ycUow of the neck encroaches further down on each 

 side, so as to form a half-collar. 



Hah. Aru Islands. 



