1504 THE PERCHING BIRDS 



dise birds. " Both Mr. Wallace and Dr. Guillemard have been fortunate enough 

 to see this splendid bird in the living state. To capture them, the natives search 

 the forest until they discover a roosting place, where the hunter conceals himself be- 

 neath the tree, and having marked the particular bough on which the bird is accus- 

 tomed to perch, ascends the stem at night, and secures his prize by the simple 

 expedient of stealthily putting a cloth over it. 



There are three other genera included in the long-beaked group, 

 or Epimachincz, namely, Ptilorhis, Epimachus, and Drepanornis. 

 The first of these three are inhabitants of Northern Australia and New Guinea, 

 and are commonly known as rifle birds. While agreeing with the twelve-wired 

 paradise bird in the relative proportions of the tail, they differ in having a jugular 

 shield of metallic plumes occupying the throat and fore-neck, as well as by the 

 absence of the " wires." The scale-breasted bird of paradise (P. magnified} is the 

 Papuan representative of this genus, and is characterized by the shield of stiff me- 

 tallic green feathers on the breast, and a small tuft of somewhat hairy plumes on 

 the sides of the same; the back and wings being velvety black, faintly glossed with 

 purple. The long-tailed bird of paradise {Epimachus spetiosus}, together with an 

 allied Papuan species, represent the second of the three genera, sufficiently distin- 

 guished by the great elongation of the graduated tail, which is much longer than 

 the body. Resembling the twelve-wired species in its dark velvety plumage, glossed 

 with purple and bronze, this bird has the tail, which exceeds two feet in length, 

 tinted above with a splendid opalescent blue; but its chief ornament is the group of 

 broad feathers arising in a fan-like manner from the sides of the breast, which are 

 dilated at their extremities, and banded with vivid blue and green; the beak being 

 long and curved, and the feet black. In total length this bird measures between 

 three and four feet. It is an inhabitant of the mountains of New Guinea, some- 

 times found near the coast. 



The fourth genus is represented by the Albertis bird of paradise (Drepanornis 

 albertisi] , which differs from all the others in having a long, slender, sickle-shaped 

 beak, downy plumage, a moderately-long graduated tail, and the flank feathers 

 developed into a brown fan-like shield. " Above the beak," writes its discoverer, 

 Signer Albertis, "are two tufts or horns, formed of small feathers deeply marked 

 with green and copper-colored reflections. The long feathers which grow from 

 the .sides of the breast are, when closed, gray, shot with a violet tint; but when 

 spread they form almost a semicircle round the body, and in certain lights shine 

 like gold, in others like fire. Long feathers of a grayish- violet color grow from 

 the sides, their edges being of a metallic violet lustre. The upper parts of the 

 wing and tail feathers are of a darkish yellow, as are those of the back, but some- 

 times of a still darker hue. The feathers of the throat are black, shading off into 

 olive color; those of the breast of a grayish purple, with an olive band; the 

 abdomen is white. The beak is black, the eyes chestnut, and the feet dark 

 lead color. When the bird raises the long feathers on his sides and breast, they 

 form two semicircles, and he presents as extraordinary and beautiful a sight as 

 one could behold." The female of this Papuan species is chestnut above, and 

 yellower beneath. 



