BIRDS OF PARADISE. 



much " a thing of the air." Its produced feathers 

 although peculiar, have none of the airy beauty 

 which is so conspicuous in the larger bird ; and it 

 does not appear to be so capable of migration. It 

 has not often been found out of New Guinea, while 

 the other ranges with the monsoons not only to the 

 Moluccas, but to some of the isles further to the east. 

 The king-bird is not one eighth of the volume ol 

 the common one, being only from five inches to five 

 inches and a half in length. It is also less royal in 

 its habits; for while the other is found chiefly in the 

 air, or on the tops of lofty trees, and on its migra- 

 tions sails majestically in company with its associates, 

 this species is a bark bird, seldom found- on a very 

 elevated perch, and solitary and shy in its habits. 

 That it does migrate is understood, because the food 

 of such birds is seasonal in the places which they 

 frequent, and this species feeds principally on ber- 

 ries ; but it is seldom seen on its migrations ; and as 

 its produced feathers are not of the same floating 

 character, its style of flight cannot be so peculiar. 



The upper part of this species is reddish brown, 

 of velvety texture and gloss, the pouch and part of 

 the head rich orange of the same, with a small black 

 spot at the inner angle of the eye. The chin is of a 

 rich nut brown, forming a large spot upon the upper 

 part of the throat, and passing into a margin of pale 

 and yellowish brown; and 1 hat again passes into a 

 gorget of very intense golden green, with metallic 

 reflections. The rest of the under part is leaden 

 grey. The feathers of the flanks, though not long 

 and flocculent like those of the former species, are 

 considerably produced, but they incline downwards, 

 and save the legs more than they do the wings. For 

 the greater part of their length these produced 

 feathers are of nearly the same subdued tint of leaden 

 grey as the common clothing feathers of the under 

 part, but toward their extremities they become more 

 brilliant. There they have, first, a narrow line of 

 white, then one of the same rich nut-colour, as appears 

 on the skin, and after these there is a broader band 

 of exquisitely rich emerald green. The flying feathers, 

 both of the wings and the tail, are dark nut colour, 

 or reddish brown ; and two of the tail feathers, or 

 rather two feathers from the rump (for it is thence, 

 and not in the true tail, that the produced caudal 

 feathers of most birds have their origin), are produced 

 beyond the rest to a distance about equal to the whole 

 length of the bird, and they are very peculiar in their 

 shape. For the greater part of their length they 

 continue nearly parallel or very little divergent from 

 each other. Toward their terminations they curve 

 outwards, or apart from each other, and at the ends 

 they curl into a sort of spiral discs, consisting of nearly 

 two convolutions, but with an opening in the centre. 

 The webs which form these discs are all upon one 

 side of the shaft, which, for the greater part of its 

 length, is covered with velvety filaments, as in the 

 former species, and interspersed with small barbs of 

 stift'er texture. The discs in which these two feathers 

 terminate are of a very rich golden green, with 

 metallic reflections. The naked skin on the feet of 

 this species is of the same soft leaden grey as the 

 under part of the body, and the bill and claws are 

 yellow. 



;3. RED BIRD or PARADISE (Paradum rubret). This, 

 which is a very elegant, as \vell as a very beautiful 

 species, is figured on the wing, as number 3, on the 

 piate It is much more a floating bird than regia, 



though perhaps not so much so as major. It \n 

 between nine and ten inches in length from tlie 

 extremity of the bill to that of the tail The upper 

 part, the sides of the neck and the breast, sire yellow. 

 The feathers at the base of the bill, which cover the 

 openings of the nostrils, are velvet black , and those 

 on the top of '.he head, which have the same soft 

 texture, but j& much more produced, and parted in 

 the middle so as to form a sort of double crest, are of 

 a fine golden green, and they partially extend over 

 the nape and sides of the neck. The lower part of 

 the breast is brownish, and the flying leathers of the 

 wings and tail brown. The flanks are furnished with 

 numerous produced feathers, which are detached 

 from each other, and bare and flocculent on their 

 neck, in the same manner as those of the species first 

 mentioned ; but their direction is much more across 

 the axis of the body, their curve more downwards at 

 their points, and they are very differently coloured. 

 They are of a deep and full red, or the character 

 which may be considered as blood red, or the nominal 

 or primary tint of that very varying colour ; but still 

 their tone is subdued, and more inclining to that of 

 venous than of arterial blood. From the sides of the 

 rump there proceed two thread-like feathers, of an 

 intense black, a little flattened, curving on their upper 

 sides, and concave on their under ones, which extend 

 to the length of from twenty inches to two feet in 

 their different specimens. Their feathers are nearly 

 straight and tapering, and without any convoluted 

 discs at their extremities, like those of regia. The 

 bill and feet of this species are brown. Its head- 

 quarters are in New Guinea, and it does not appear 

 to be so discursive in its range over this island to the 

 eastward as some of the other species. 



4. MAGNIFICENT BIRD OF PARADISE (Paradisea 

 magnified). This is the fourth and last species 

 figured on the plate, and, like regia, it is a small 

 species, though considerably larger than that, being 

 at least half an inch longer, and proportionably 

 greater in all its other dimensions. The upper part 

 is of a rich and brilliant brown. The feathers over 

 the nostrils and on the head short, but very thickly 

 set, and of a rich reddish brown. The top of the head 

 green, with metallic reflections. Around the neck 

 there is a double ruff of produced feathers. The first, 

 or nearest the head, and shortest one, is composed of 

 straight feathers, of a reddish colour, and with black 

 spots on their extremities. The second, and larger 

 one, is straw yellow, with the colour darker towards 

 the extremities of the feathers. The ends of the 

 feathers of both are squared and abrupt, as if they 

 were trimmed by a pair of scissors ; but the webs of 

 that part have the same velvety texture which cha- 

 racterises all the produced feathers upon birds of this 

 gonus. The primary quills of the wings are of a fine 

 crimson colour ; the coverts yellow on the upper 

 sides, and brown on the under. The secondary and 

 tertiary quills brown. The throat and breast are 

 clouded with green and blue on the middle, passing 

 nto brownish green on the sides of the breast, and 

 the belly is bluish green. The feet and bill are 

 yellow on the principal part, but the tomia of the 

 atter arc margined with black. With the exception 

 of the double ruff, which gives a very singular appear- 

 ance to the neck, there are fewer produced feathers 

 upon this bird than on most of the others, but there 

 are two very beautiful ones arising from the sides of 

 he rump, extending to some distance nearly parallel 



