Appendix. 87 



figured in the supplementary volume of Gould's folio on the Birds of 

 Australia ; but of the mode of life, voice, &c., only a very brief account 

 was given, as nothing was known of its habits. Some time since, the 

 following most interesting communication was forwarded to the late 

 Professor Garrod, Prosector of the Zoological Society, whose early death is 

 so deeply deplored by all who knew him or his valuable scientific work. 

 This was placed at my disposal by his successor, Mr. W. A. Forbes, and I 

 have much pleasure in publishing what I believe to be the first account of 

 the habits of this extraordinary species. The writer, whose name unfor- 

 tunately is not on the manuscript, and to whom therefore I cannot give the 

 credit which is his due, states : 



" Having recently purchased a pair of those elegant birds, the Manucodia 

 heraudreni, which had been shot at Cape York by Mr. J. A. Thorpe (now 

 Taxidermist to the Sydney Museum), he directed my attention to the 

 peculiar formation of the trachea in them, some of which he had preserved 

 in a dried state and presented to me. Of these I have sent you three, one 

 female and two from males ; that of the female is much smaller in size than 

 those of the males ; and even in the males the convolutions assume different 

 forms, some being perfectly cylindrical, others are very much elongated ; 

 the convolutions are very numerous and large in comparison with the size 

 of the bird, and constitute a singular formation. By moistening the 

 specimens I have sent, you will be able to observe more accurately the 

 peculiarity of the structure, and the elasticity and power of contraction 

 and dilatation of the tube, than can be done by an examination of the dried 

 specimens. If you consider them of sufficient interest, they could be 

 drawn and brought before the Society. I shall make every effort to procure 

 some of these birds in spirits, so as to enable an accurate dissection of this 

 formation to be made and described. From Mr. Thorpe's account, the 

 trachea forms the convolutions between the skin and breast (but not on 

 the bone itself), and then enters the cavity of the chest to the lungs. This 

 formation of the vocal organs enables the male bird to utter a very loud and 

 deep guttural sound — indeed, more powerful and sonorous than anvone 

 would suppose so small a bird could be capable of producing. Mr. Thorpe 

 states to me that it was a long time before he could believe that so powei'ful 

 a sound emanated from this bird. No information could be obtained 

 respecting the note of the female, as only that of the male bird was heard. 

 Mr. Thorpe gave me some information respecting the habits of these birds, 

 as follows : " During a residence of seventeen months at Cape York in 

 1867-68, I shot several of the Manucodia heraudreni, and took particular 

 notice of their habits. They frequent the dense palm forests, and are 

 usually seen high up in the trees ; they utter a very deep and loud guttural 

 note, rather prolonged, and unlike that of any other bird with which I am 

 familiar. Their movements are particularly active and graceful; on 



