60 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



and thighs -washed with coffee-brown, as well as the 

 outer edge of under wing-coverts. >Halb., New Guinea 

 and neighbouring islands. 



Russ says tihat, according to Rosenberg, 'this species, 

 like all members of its family, is a migratory bird, 

 sometimes occurring on the coast and sometimes in 'the 

 interior of the country following the ripening of certain 

 tree-fruits. He then quotes Wallace as follows : 

 " That was just the casa during my residence at Dorey 

 with the 'fruits of a Laurinea which grew upon the 

 summit of a hill about' 166 ft. high behind the villages. 

 The birds, chiefly females and young males, came flying 

 with vigorous flapping of wings to these trees ; and were 

 so little nervous, that they even returned after they 

 had been shot at several times. Otherwise this bird 

 is uniformly timid and difficult to get a shot at, 

 particularly the old males. Their cry sounds hoarse, 

 can be heard from a long distance, and may ibe best 

 represented by the words ' wuk, wuk, wuk,' frequently 

 followed by a scratching pound. Morning and evening 

 one hears this cry resounding through the forest, raiely 

 at midday. Constantly in motion, tihe bird flies from 

 tree to tree, never remains long sitting quietily on the 

 same branch, and at the least noise coneeals itself in 

 the 'thickly folia g-ed branches of the tree. Even before 

 sunrise the Paradise-birds fly about to seek loir their 

 food." * 



I have not succeeded in finding: any other notes upon 

 the wild life of this species. Mr. Wallace brought home 

 two males for the Londtn Zoological Gardens in 1862 ; 

 two more were purchased in 1878; Mr. KettleweJ'l 

 brought home three males jn 1884 ; two received by Mrs. 

 Johnstone in 1904 were deposited at the Gardens in 

 1905 : Mr. Pratt brought one home in 19C7 ; the 

 Amsterdam Gar l-n s secured an example in 1879; .an 

 example, which was in the Dresden Gardens in 1875 

 subsequently Avas transferred to those of Berlin : 

 altogether a gcod many examples of 'this species have 

 been imported. 



RED BIRD OF PARADISE (Paradisca samjulnca}. 



Back of bead, back and sides of neck (continued as a 

 band across the front of breast), mantle and wing- 

 coverts bright golden buff; the latter, scapulars, and 

 middle of back washed with orange -brown, the general 

 colour of the back being reddish brown, with an orange 

 tinge; rump buff; upper flights, tail-coverts and tail 

 reddii-'h. chestnut, the two central tail-feathers repre- 

 sented by long metallic horn-like shafts; fro n't of crown 

 and orbital region, sides of face and throat bright 

 velvety metallic green ; the feathers above the eye 

 elongated into a small! twft; lores, feathers an front *of 

 eye and chin velvety greenish-black; breast and under 

 wing-coverts dark purpli-'h. chestnut . ;ln- yellow ^nr^et 

 extending a short way on each side of the upper breast 

 and consisting of stiffened feathers : abdomen and under 

 tail-coverts chestnut rather paler than the breast ; two 

 immense bunches of bright crim-un '.plumes with 

 whitish tips fro;ii flanks ; bill gamboge yellow : i rides 

 blackish olivaceous. Female reddish-brown, deeper 

 and more purplish on front of head, sides of face and 

 throat; back of head, entire neck and mantle golden 

 buff shading to orange. Hab., Waigiou, Ghemien and 

 Batanta. Russ observes: "Wallace heard and eaw 

 them tolerably numerously at Waigiou, near to the 

 village of Muka. They were very timid and not easily 

 obtained. Wallace's hunter firsit shot a leniale, and the 

 explorer himself one. day gob v<?ry close to a beautiful 



* In The Ibis for 1905, pages 429-440, Mr. W. R. O. Grant has 

 published a full and liberally illustrated account of the display 

 f this epeoiee. 



male : ' The bird crouched low down and ran along a 

 branch search in.g for insects, almost like a Woodpecker;. 

 the long heavy ribbons in the tail hung down in the 

 most graceful double curve. I took aim and intended 

 to use the barred which contained a very small charge 

 of powder and a No. 8 shot, in order not to injure the 

 plumage, but the weapon missed fire and the bird 

 immediately disappeared into the thicket. Another day 

 I saw no less than eigh!> beautiful males at different 

 times, and fired at them four times ; but, although other 

 birds at the samo distance almost always fell, they 

 escaped arrd I began to think that we shoivkl not secure 

 this splendid, species. At. last the f ruits on the fig-tree 

 near my house got ripe, many birds came to feed upon 

 them, and one morning while I was taking my coffee, 

 1 saw a. male Paradise-bird settle near the top of it. 

 I 'seized my gun, ran under the tree, and. as I looked 

 up, I could see it flying from branch to hraiieh taking 

 a fruit here and another there, but then be.fore I could 

 take .satisfactory aim in order to shoot it at such a 

 height (for it was one of the highest trees of its kind) 

 it disappeared into the forest. It now visited (this 

 every morning, but remained thereon iso short a time 

 and its movements were so active and it was so hard to- 

 sec on account of the lower ! ; s which obstructed the 

 view, that it was only after several days and one or two 

 misses I at last brought down my bird a male with 

 most splendid plumage.' " 



The London Zoological Gardens obtained a male of 

 this species in 1881. and three in 1884. Mr. Gocdfellow 

 brought home two in 1907. 



KING BIRD OF PARADISE (Clcinnurus regius). 



Above satiny crimson shaded with orange especially 



on tihe> forehead ; flights orange-brown, washed 

 externally with crimson; tail aslv-brown, with crimson 

 or orange edges to the feathers, concealed entirely by 

 the long tail-coverts, the two central 'feathers elongated 

 into a long wire-like shaft, terminating in a spiral 

 of metallic green; a npot of black feathers shot with 

 green above the eye; throat and fcreneck purplish- 

 crimson, the lower feathers with orange-buff tips,, 

 forming a band across the foreneck, followed on In 

 by a in: Bailie green belt; from each side of the bre.ist 

 a tuft of long aeihy-brown plumes with green tip 

 sul (terminal buff line and a eecond narrow reddish 

 In-own line; remainder of under surface pure white ; bill 

 apparently yellow and fe?t blue.* Female above brown,. 

 tinted especially on the head, with olivaceous or 

 golden; greater coverts and flights darker, washed 

 externally with reddish orange; tail brown, faintly 

 glossed with golden; sides of head and throat d" 

 \\illi small eentml 'bufn^h shat'i-st '-eaks u> the. feathers ;. 

 of under surface pale buff, more golden on fore- 

 neck and barred 'throughout with dull brown; under 

 wing-covert.-: and axil'lairies reddish with ill-de' 

 brown bare; edge ot whig or.ingo cadmium. Hab. r 

 New Guinea and 'Sahvatti, Am, Mysol #nd Jobi. 



In May, 1897, Mi-. Walter QoodfeUow brought r.ome 

 several pairs of this gorgeous bird for Mrs. Johnstone 

 and Mr. Charles Pratt brought from Am two males 

 and one female for Sir William Ingram. The latter 

 gentleman hag described and illustrated t'fro display of 

 this Bird of Paradise (The Ibis, 1907, pp. 225-229). 

 He eays : " He always commences his display 

 by giving forth several short separate notes and squeaks,, 

 sometimes resembling tli3 call of a Quail, sometimes the- 

 whine of a pet dog. Next he spreads out his -wings, 



* See Sir William Ingram's illustration (The Ibis, 1907,. 

 Plate V.). 



