664 The Birds of Paradise. 



of Viellot, and is one of the rarest and most brilliant of the 

 whole group, being only knowii from mutilated native skins. 

 This bird is a little larger than the Magnificent. The ground 

 color of the plumage is intense black, but with beautiful 

 bronze reflections on the neck, and the whole head scaled with 

 feathers of brilliant metallic green and blue. Over its breast it 

 bears a shield formed of narrow and rather stiff feathers, much 

 elongated toward the sides, of a pure bluish-green color, and 

 with a satiny gloss. But a still more extraordinary ornament 

 is that which springs from the back of the neck — a shield of 

 a similar form to that on the breast, biit much larger, and of 

 a velvety black color,, glossed with bronze and purple. The 

 outermost feathers of this shield are half an inch longer than 

 the wing, and when it is elevated it must, in conjunction with 

 the breast-shield, completely change the form and whole ap- 

 pearance of the bird. The bill is black, and the feet appear to 

 be yellow. 



This wonderful little bird inhabits the interior of the north- 

 ern peninsula of New Guinea only. Neither I nor Mr. Allen 

 could hear any thing of it in any of the islands or on any part 

 of the coast. It is true that it was obtained from the coast- 

 natives by Lesson; but when at Sorong in 1861, Mr. Allen 

 learned that it is only found three days' journey in the inte- 

 rior. Owing to these " Black Birds of Paradise," as they are 

 called, not being so much valued as articles of merchandise, 

 they now seem to be rarely preserved by the natives, and it 

 thus happened that during several years spent on the coasts 

 of New Guinea and in the Moluccas I was never able to obtain 

 a skin. We are therefore quite ignorant of the habits of this 

 bird, and also of its female, though the latter is no doubt as 

 plain and inconspicuous as in all the other species of this 

 family. 



The Golden, or Six-shafted Paradise Bird, is another rare 

 species, first figured by Buff on, and never yet obtained in j^ei*- 

 fect condition. It was named by Boddaert, Paradisea sexpen- 

 nis, and forms the genus Parotia of Viellot. This wonderful 

 bird is about the size of the female Paradisea rubra. The 

 plumage appears at first sight black, but it glows in certain 

 lights with bronze and deep purple. The throat and breast 



