252 Drs. O. Finsch and A. B. Meyer on 



Examples from Milne Bay seem to have the brownish- 

 violet breast- shield rather darker and the parts immediately 

 below also darker than examples from the Astrolabe Moun- 

 tains. In the latter also there appears to be a yellowish 

 nuance on the green throat-feathers, instead of the bluish 

 nuance of the former. The Milne-Bay specimens measure 

 about half a millimetre more in the length of the wing, and 

 also show a rather more yellowish nuance on the undersides 

 of the wings and tail when the direction of the eye is parallel 

 to the light falling upon it. But all these apparent differences 

 are very slight, and there is not sufficient evidence of their 

 constancy to separate the birds as local forms. At the same 

 time it is right to notice these small differences occurring in 

 neighbouring localities in order to arrive at a correct know- 

 ledge of the variation of species in connection with geo- 

 graphical distribution. 



Paradisornis, Meyer, gen. nov. 



Rostro altiore, magis compresso et curvato, rectricibusque 

 duabus intermediis angustis, spatuliformibus, a genere 

 Paradisea diflPert, 



13. Paradisornis rudolphi, sp. nov. (Plate VII.) 



P. rudolphi mas ab omnibus Paradiseis hucusque notis para- 



cercorum plumarum forma et colore Cccruleo-cyaneo 



differt. Sincipite, loris, genis, mento, gula et gutture 



plumis velutinis,nigris, nitide obscure flavo- virescentibus ; 



regione postoculari nuda ; oculis supra et subtus plumis 



nitide albis, longis, sericeis ornatis ; occipite obscure 



purpureo-castaneo nitente ; nucha et interscapulio nitide 



nigrescentibus, plumis basin versus cinerascentibus, 



medio cyaneis, apicibus nitide nigresceutibus ; dorso et 



uropygio cserulescenti-nigro variegatis ; cauda supra 



cserulescente ; alls supra cserulescenti-cyaneis, remigum 



pogoniis internis nigris, alarum tectricibus cyaneis, ter- 



tiariis interne clarius cyaneo marginatis; pectoris plumis 



longis nigrescentibiis, abdomen versus virescenti-cseru- 



leo nitentibus ; abdomine et tibiis nigris, nitentibus ; 



cauda subtus cyanescente, subcaudalibus virescenti- 



nigricantibus ; alis subtus fuscis, remigum priniariorum 



