E(j(js of certain Birds of- Paradise. llo 



for the first time. It must, however, be pointed out tliat, in 

 a good many instance^, the identification of the eggs is 

 somewhat doubtful, and rests on the evidence of the natives 

 wlio obtained them. 



The Natural History iMuseum having recently received 

 eggs of several species of Oirds-of-Paradise the identification 

 of wliich is certain, it has been thought that a few notes and 

 figures of tliese beautiful objects might be of interest to the 

 readers of ^The Ibis.' 



Pa RADiSEA APOD A. (Plate III. fig. 2.) 



Paradisea apuda Meyer, Zeitschr. Gcs. Oru. i, p. 293, 

 pi. xvii. fig. 2 (1884.) ; Goodfellow, Avicult. :\rag. (3) i. 

 p. 283 (1910). 



1. Silbattabatta, Wanumbai, I. of Wokan, Aru I^^lands, 

 12th December, 1906 (IV. Goodfellow). Presented by jNIra. 

 E. J. Johnstone. 



The beautiful q^^ figured in the accompanying plate was 

 procured by ]\Ir. Walter Goodfellow, who has [)ublished the 

 following account of it : — 



"The nesting-season appears to commence in December, 

 ji.ist as the males have gone out of plumage, for I had an egg 

 brought to me early in that month, during my last visit to 

 the Aru Islands, and a icw days later the same native took 

 another to ]Mr. Pratt, Sir William Ingram's collector, who (vas 

 staying in that district. The man said he got them both 

 from the same nest, but tliere was a remarkable difference in 

 the colouring of the two. While Mr. Pratt's egg was almost 

 white with comparatively few markings, mine was veiy pink 

 and richly streaked all over, bnt more especially at the larger 

 end. At the same time, together or apait there eonld be no 

 question as to their being the eggs of a Paradise-Bird. The 

 native who brouglit tliem being a particularly stupid person 

 and not speaking much Malay, I could get no satisfactory 

 information from him about the nest, whether it was high np 

 or low down. In all probability it was low down, like that 

 of P. raggiana.^ and two eggs is the usual number, with a 

 possible three at times. During the first week in January 



SER. IX. VOL. TI. I 



