On Birds from the Louisiade Islands ^c. 553 



XL VII. — On a small Collection of Birds from the Louisiade 

 and d' Entrecasteaux Islands. By H. B. Tristram, D.D., 

 F.R.S. 



In the autumn of last year, Mr. Basil H. Thomson made a 

 short expedition to the south-east corner of New Guinea 

 and the d'Entrecastcaux and Louisiade Islands, on behalf of 

 the Government of New South Wales, to endeavour to open 

 communications with the natives of these groups, recently 

 attached to the British Empire^. Mr. Thomson, intimately 

 connected with York, through his father the Archbishop, 

 has presented his birds to the York Museum, the authorities 

 of which have kindly forwarded to me the collection for 

 identification. The collection consists of 47 specimens of 

 33 species, 8 of which appear to me to be undescribed. The 

 only specimens collected on the mainland of New Guinea 

 were those of Paradisea ragyiana, Cicinnurus regius, and 

 Craspedophora magnifica, obtained at East Cape and Milne 

 Bay. All the others are from the islands, which have been 

 scarcely visited by any naturalist, so far as I am aware, ex- 

 cepting by John McGillivray, who touched there during the 

 voyage of H.M.S. ' Rattlesnake,' and Mr. A. Goldie. 



I proceed to give a list of the birds, with a few notes 

 kindly supplied to me by Mr. Thomson. 



1. Paradisea raggiana, Sclat. 



One male specimen, in full plumage, taken at East Cape, 

 New Guinea. 



2. Paradisea decora, Salvin & Godman. 



Two male specimens, one in superb full plumage, the other 

 immature, having the full plumage developed on the head 

 and neck, but the axillary plumes only just beginning to 

 sprout, about 2 inches long ; and the two median rectrices 

 9 inches long instead of 16, and not wire-like filaments, but 

 continuously barbed on either side, and terminating in a 

 spatule, as in Tanysiptera. I may also observe that while the 

 rachis of the median rectrices in the fully adult is jet-black, 



* [See Mr. Thomson's narrative of his expedition, Proc. R. Geogr. Soc. 

 1889, p. 525— Ed.] 



SER. VI. VOL. I. 2 O 



