384 



the large islanJ, and even to the central portions of 

 that island, never appearing on the sea-coast, nor in 

 the swampy forests which in many places reach some 

 miles inland. With regard to its distribution in New 

 Guinea, the Macassar traders assured me it was not 

 found there at all; for, although they obtain quanti- 

 ties of , Burong mati' from most of the places they 

 visit on the Avest coast of New Guinea, they are all 

 of another kind, being the Paradisea papuana , a smaller 

 and more delicate, but less brilliantly coloured species. 

 On inquiry I found they did not trade to the eastward 

 of Cape Buro (153° E,). Lesson (1), I believe, found 



(1) Since writing tlils paper, I have, by the kind ness ofa Ger- 

 man physician residing at Macassar, Dr. Bauer, obtained a pe- 

 rusal of the 'Zoology of the Voyage of the Coquille' coutaiaing 

 Lesson 's observations on the Paradise BIrds. There is, howe- 

 ver, a great want of preciseness ia his account, owing to his 

 using French trivial names, and his not stating where and how 

 he obtained each species. Hevisited, I find, only the north coast 

 (Dorey Harbour) and the island of Waigiou (Wageu). His details of 

 habits refer to, and the specimens shot by himself or companions 

 are spoken of as, the " petit Emeraude," which must be the 

 P. paimana Bechst. [P. minor Forst.). He States, hoAvever, Ihat 

 he procured from the natives at Dorey the tivo sjyecies of Eme- 

 raude, the other being, no doubt, the true P. apoda Linn., 

 which I believe does not iuhabit that district. They were pro- 

 bably obtained from the Ceramese traders , who had brought thcm 

 from the south or from Aru, just as they offered me at Aru spe- 

 cimens of the P. papuana which they had bronght from the north 

 peninsula of New Guinea. He mentions the apparently large nura- 

 ber of females, and concludes that the bird is polygamous! but 

 1 have no doubt that what he took for females were mostly young 

 males. He says nothing about the vertical expansion of the plu- 

 mes , which will form, I hope, an important addition to our 

 knowledge of these remarkable birds. 



