416 ]\Imc. J. Power on the Habits of the common Marten. 



forehead the rich metallic green of the old birds ; the two middle 

 tail-feathers, however, are still webbed, but are now two or three 

 inches longer than the rest. In the next state these two feathers 

 have been replaced by the immensely long, bare rachides, quite 

 equal to the greatest size they attain ; but there is yet no sign 

 of the fine side-plumes which mark the fourth and perfect state 

 of the species. I am inclined to believe, therefore, that this 

 extraordinary mass of plumes is only obtained by the Paradisea 

 in its fourth year, and after three complete changes of its feathers. 

 This will account for the very large number of immature birds 

 everywhere seen, while the full-plumaged males are comparatively 

 scarce. It is singular that I have not been able to obtain a single 

 adult female, my only specimen of that sex being, I think, also 

 a young bird. It is exactly similar to the youngest males, of a 

 coffee-brown all over ; but in Bonaparte^s ' Conspectus^ it is 

 stated that the female is dusky yellow and brown, with the 

 under parts entirely ivhite. This, I cannot help thinking, must 

 be a mistake, or altogether another bird ; for neither myself nor 

 my hunters have ever seen one at all resembling it, out of many 

 hundreds in various states of plumage. The natives who shoot 

 the birds are also quite unacquainted with it, and always declared 

 that the birds of a uniform brown colour were the females. I 

 am sorry I could not positively determine the point, because I 

 shall probably not again visit the districts in which the Paradisea 

 apoda is found. I hope, however, to obtain the ^[\\ci\. P . papuana 

 on the north coast of New Guinea, and trust to be more successful 

 in ascertaining the female of that species. It is also worthy of 

 notice that the long cirrhi of the tail in the full-plumaged males 

 vary very much in length, and the shortest is often the most 

 worn, showing that it has reached its full development for the 

 year. A specimen occurs occasionally with immense cirrhi ; one 

 of mine has these feathers 34 inches long, while the general 

 length seems to be from 24 to 28 inches. I think it probable, 

 therefore, that these cirrhi increase in length each year, and that 

 the very long ones mark very old birds. The other dimensions 

 of the bird, and the length of the ornamental side-plumes, are 

 in all cases almost exactly equal. 



XLI. — Observations on the Habits of the common Marten (Martes 

 foina). By Madame Jeanxette Power*. 



Every one knows that the Marten is very wild, and that it 

 inhabits the forests. As cunning as the Fox, it prowls like that 

 animal round about isolated houses and farms, and enters these 

 for the purpose of plunder ; its visits, which are not disinterested, 

 * Communicated bv Prof. Oweu. 



