238 Miscellaneous. 
by which the specimen is attached to its perch, have also been 
added to complete it. 
Thus far I have referred to the defective portions, which must be 
decidedly considered as made up from the plumage of various birds, 
artificially intermingled, to give the appearance of a perfect speci- 
men. I will now pass to the more pleasing task of noticing the 
parts which I think are those belonging to a distinct species. I 
will first, however, mention, that on comparing the feathers of these 
parts, as far as regards their structure, with those of the same parts 
of a well-authenticated specimen of Tuanysiptera Dea, one is readily 
satisfied with their identity of character and disposition. But the 
differences of colouring between those portions which are left of the 
original bird and the same parts in the old species, will be better 
explained by the following description. 
The tips of the feathers that compose the crest, as well as the 
elongated central tail-feathers, are ultramarine in this bird; while 
in the Tanysiptera Dea these parts are of a rich cobalt; in both, 
however, the tail-feathers are tipped with white. 
The back is deep shining black in the present bird; but in the 
T. Dea that part is of a dull black, with each feather margined with 
deep blue. 
The outer tail-feathers have the inner webs brownish black, and 
the exterior webs ultramarine; while in the T. Dea they are white, 
margined narrowly on the exterior edges with cobalt. 
The central tail-feathers are much shorter than those of the 7. Dea, 
though the size of the bird is nearly the same. 
From these differences I may venture to give the following short 
specific characters of the bird before me, under the name of Tany- 
siptera.Nympha :— 
Deep black above, margined with deep blue; the occipital crest 
and central tail-feathers ultramarine, the latter tipped with 
white; the lateral tail-feathers brownish black, with the outer 
webs ultramarine: beneath, &c. ? 
I have two reasons for bringing this partly artificial bird before 
naturalists :—first, to call the attention of ornithologists to the fact 
that some of the continental preparers of objects of Natural History 
still continue the shameful practice of endeavouring to deceive the 
zealous collector by false means, as in bygone days, when several 
such were published in splendid works, that have since been dis- 
covered to be manufactured for the purpose of obtaining large sums 
of money from amateurs who were struck by their magnificent 
appearance: secondly, to point out, as far as such a specimen will 
admit, the existence, without doubt, of a second species of an ex- 
tremely rare genus, and thus endeavour to lead to its further eluci- 
dation, in the hope of establishing the fact of the existence of more 
than one species. In further proof of the latter assertion, I may 
add, that I have seen another specimen, which differs in several 
respects from both those now mentioned, and may be an inter- 
mediate species between them, and which will be soon described by 
M. La Fresnage, of Paris.—Grorgr Kosperr Gray. 
