250 Mr. P. L. Sclater 07i Recent 



first day I went out at Atam on June 23, I got both these 

 species (two specimens of each), besides one Drepanornis 

 albertisi, three Paradigalla, one Parotia, and several other 

 wonderful kinds of birds. It was a memorable day, because 

 I also ascended one of the peaks, and was surprised to find 

 myself surrounded by four or five species of Vaccinium and 

 Rhododendron. I also found an Umbellifer (a Drymis) and 

 various other plants common to the mountains of Java. 

 There were also some mosses a foot and a half in height. 

 But I must speak to you of birds, and not let myself be 

 distracted from the Paradise-birds. 



"The Arfaks call Astrapiagularis ' Haroma,^ and the adult 

 Epimachus maximus 'Kambiloja;^ the young ones and 

 females are called ' Lessoa.' Drepanornis is well known to 

 the Arfaks under the name of ^Sagroja;' it is not very 

 rare, but difficult to find, because, as the hunters assure me, 

 it has no peculiar cry, so that it is only met with by chance. 

 Its inconspicuous colour also makes it difficult to see. It is 

 partial to places near recent clearings, from 3000 to 5000 feet, 

 as it has the habit of flying to dead trees and fallen trunks, 

 about which it finds the insects which form its food. In the 

 stomachs of the two specimens I dissected I found only 

 insects of various orders, ants predominating, and the larvae 

 of a Lepidopterous insect. The iris of the adult male is 

 violescent brown. I preserved a male which was in bad con- 

 dition in spirit for anatomical study. As to Paradigalla 

 carunculata, I shot one from my hut whilst it was eating the 

 small fleshy fruits of an Urtica. It likes to sit on the tops of 

 dead and leafless trees, like the Mino dumonti. The finest 

 ornament of this bird are the wattles, which in the dried skin 

 lose all their beauty. The upper ones, which are attached one 

 on each side of the forehead, are of a yellowish green colour ; 

 those at the base of the lower mandible are blue, and have a 

 small patch of orange red beneath. The Arfaks call the 

 Paradigalla ' Happoa.' Of Parotia sexpennis I got one 

 adult male alive; but it only lived three days. Its eye, with 

 the iris azure surrounded by a yellow ring, is extremely 

 beautiful, liie six feathers which ornament the head are 



