1502 THE PERCHING BIRDS 



bright-colored feathers spring from each side of the body beneath the wings, forming 

 trains, or fans, or shields; and the middle feathers of the tail are often elongated 

 into wires, twisted into fantastic shapes, or adorned with the most brilliant metallic 

 tints. In another set of species these accessory plumes spring from the head, the 

 back, or the shoulders; while the intensity of color and of metallic lustre displayed 

 by their plumage is not to be equaled by any other birds, except, perhaps the hum- 

 ming birds, and is not surpassed even by these." 



Although but very little is known in regard to the habits of these lovely birds, 

 it appears that as regards food they are generally omnivorous, feeding on fruits and 

 insects, and showing a marked preference for figs, grasshoppers, locusts, leaf insects, 

 and caterpillars. Even, however, when supplied with food of this nature in cap- 

 tivity they almost immediately pine and die. While the long-tailed species are 

 purely arboreal, some of the short-tailed kinds, like the six-plumed bird of paradise, 

 are frequently seen on the ground; and in all cases the cock birds are fond of assem- 

 bling for mutual display. Till recently their eggs have been almost unknown, but 

 such as have been obtained recall those of some of the rails in appearance. They 

 are two in number, and laid in a nest built high up in the tree tops. The eggs of 

 the Empress Augusta paradise bird have a pale pinkish-buff ground color, upon 

 which are streaks and spots of reddish brown and gray. Several of the species have 

 a very small distributional area, but in no case is the range more restricted than in 

 the red bird of paradise, which is entirely confined to the small island of Waigiou, 

 at tt.e northwestern extremity of New Guinea, in which spot it replaces the mem- 

 bers of the genus to which it belongs found in the other islands. 



Commencing with the second of the two groups referred to above, 

 Twelve- Wired 



_. . f or the one in which the beak is relatively long and slender, we may 



Paradise ta ^ e as a ^ rst example the beautiful twelve-wired bird of paradise 

 {Seleucides nigricans}, which is the sole representative of this genus. 

 Having a short, squared tail, much inferior in length to the body, this genus is dis- 

 tinguished by the absence of a jugular shield of metallic plumes on the throat and 

 fore-neck; and still more so by the feathers of the flanks, which are yellowish like 

 those of the breast, being produced and their shafts elongated into six pairs of bare 

 wire-like bristles, which are bent forward in a bold curve. As regards the plu- 

 mage, the head is covered with short velvety feathers of a purplish-bronze color; the 

 breast appears at first nearly. black, but in different lights shows various metallic 

 tints, especially green and purple, the outer edges of the feathers being margined 

 with emerald green. The whole of the back and shoulders is rich bronzy green, 

 while the closed wings and tail are of the most brilliant violet purple, and the whole 

 plumage has a delicate silky gloss. Posteriorly to the fore-breast, the whole of the 

 under parts are of a rich buffy yellow, the same tint characterizing the plumes of 

 flank feathers, which extend about an inch and a half beyond the tail. The total 

 length of the bird is about a foot, of which two inches are taken up by the com- 

 pressed beak. The female, although less sombre than in some of the group, has 

 none of the bright plumes of her partner, being bright chestnut red above, with the 

 crown of the head and back of the neck brown; while the under parts are buffy 

 brown, irregularly barred with blackish brown. 



