Birds of Paradise.- 



-BIEDS.- 



-BiRDS OF Paradise. 



351 



and throat chestnut colour instead of black. This bird 

 is an inhabitant of the island of Waigion. 



THE GOLDEN-BREASTED BIRD OF PARADISE 

 {Piirotia aiirea), a native of New Guinea and Waigiou, 

 is of about the same size as the preceding species, but 

 is easily distinguished from all other known Birds of 

 Paradise by the presence of six long filaments springing 

 from the head, three on each side, measuring about six 

 inches in length, and bearing at tlieir extremities a few 

 barbs, which form a small flat palette. The colour of 

 these filaments and palettes is black, as is also the rest 

 of the velvet-like plumage, except on the throat and 

 the ujiper part of the breast, which are covered with 

 Boale-liko feathers, exhibiting the most brilliant golden, 

 coppery, and green tints. The frontal plumes are 

 erect, and white at the tip, forming a sort of pearly- 

 gray tuft on the front of the liead ; and the flanks are 

 covered with a dense tuft of rather elongated, black 

 decomposed feathers, which conceal the wings. The 

 female exhibits two ear-like tufts on the head, in the 

 place of the singular filaments of the male. Iler 

 plumage is black, becoming sooty-brown on the back, 

 and eheslnut-red on the rump ; her chin is reddish- 

 brown, chest pale-tawny, and belly reddish, marked 

 with deep brown longitudinal streaks. 



THE SUPERB BIRD OF PARADISE {Lophorhina 

 snperha) is smaller than any of the preceding species 

 of this family, measuring only about nine inches in 

 -length. It is distinguished by having a small tuft of 

 black plumes springing from each nostril. The plumage 

 of this splendid bird is black, presenting green and 

 purple glosses in difl'eront lights ; the front of the neck 

 and breast are covered by a sort of breastplate of 

 imbricated feathers, hanging down in front and terminat- 

 ing in a wide fork. Tliis breastplate exhibits the most 

 brOIiant tints of bronzed green and violet ; from the 

 sides of the neck spring numerous plumes, gradually 

 increasing in length, and of a rich violet black coloui", 

 which form a sort of mantle, partly concealingthe wings. 

 Of tliis species, which is one of the rarest of its family-, 

 the female is unknown. It is an inhabitant of Waigiou 

 and New Guinea. 



THE KING BIRD OF PARADISE {Cicimmrus regtus) 

 is a still smaller species, measuring less than six inches 

 in length. It is of a bright red colour above, and the 

 whole of its plumage is of a velvet-like softness, both to 

 the eye and to the touch. The plumes which clothe 

 the nostrils and the forehead aie of a fine orange colour; 

 at the angle of the eye there is a small black spot; the 

 chin and throat are brilliant yellow, bounded be- 

 neath by a transverse brownish streak, below which is 

 a broad band of metallic green ; the rest of the lower 

 surface is white. On each side of tlie body, beneath 

 the wings, tlie-re is a broad, flat plume of feathers, form- 

 ing a sort of fan, in which each feather is truncated at 

 the extremity. These feathers are gray, but towards 

 their lips they are traversed by two bands — one white, 

 the other red ; and beyond these bands the extremities 

 of the feathers are brilliant emerald-green. From the 

 tail, which is reddish-brown, spring two long, naked, 

 red filaments, which acquire barbs to wards the extremity, 

 where they are rolled up in a spiral form ; these filaments 

 are curvai in such a manner as somewdiat to resemble 



those in the tail of the Lyre-bird. The female is red- 

 dish-brown above, and reddish-yellow, finely streaked 

 with brown, beneath. This rare bird is a native of New 

 Guinea. 



THE MAGNIFICENT BIRD OF PARADISE [Diphylhdcs 

 tnagiiijica), which is likewise known only as an inha- 

 bitant of New Guinea, measures about eight inches in 

 length, and is distinguished by the presence on each 

 side of the neck of two peculiar tufts of feathers. The 

 uj)pormost of these tufts consists of small, narrow, 

 yellow feathers, each with a black spot at the tip, which 

 stand out nearly at a right angle from the neck ; the 

 lower tuft, which is larger, but less prominent, is com- 

 posed of long, detached barbs, springing from short 

 tubes ; they are of a straw colour, and truncated at the 

 extremity. The front of tlie neck and breast are 

 marked with alternate transverse Imes of bright green 

 changing to blue, and dark green; the colour of most of 

 the rest of the plumage is brown ; the wings are reddish- 

 yellow, and the head exhibits a metallic histre. The 

 tail is furnished with a pair of filaments about a foot in 

 length, which terminate in a fine point, and exhibit 

 brilliant blue and green tints. The female is unknown. 

 THE INCOMPARABLE BIRD OF PARADISE (Astivjna 

 nigra). — The name of Incomparable was given to this 

 bird by Le Vaillant on account of the great beauty of its 

 plumage, in which it seems to exceed all the other 

 species of this magnificent family. Its body is about 

 nine inches long ; but the middle feathers of its elon- 

 gated tail measure more than twice this length ; they 

 are rounded at the extremity, so that the apex of the 

 tail exhibits a strong notch, and the remaining tail- 

 feathers, which gradually din inish in length, are applied 

 beneath them, in such a manner that the tail appears 

 to consist only of these two featliers. The feathers of 

 the sides and back of the head are elongated and silky, 

 and carried back on the sides of the neck so as to form 

 a sort of double crest ; the colour of the head is black, 

 with a brilliant greenish gloss. The back of the neck 

 and the back are of a brilliant golden greenish-bronze 

 colour, exhibiting a wonderful play of tints when viewed 

 in different lights ; the feathers of these parts are firm 

 and imbricated, resembling the bright scales of a fish. 

 The front of the neck is also clothed with scale-like 

 feathers, forming a sort of gorget ; the centre of this 

 gorget is of the same colour as the back, but it is bor- 

 dered by a sort of collar of the most brilliant colours — 

 ruby-red, golden-orange, and violet. The remainder 

 of the lower surface is of a deep, lustrous green colour. 

 The wings and tail are violet black, but the feathers 

 of the latter are marked beneath with transverse bands 

 of brown. This splendid bird, which is exceedingly 

 rare in collections, is a native of New Guinea. The 

 female is still unknown. 



Family III.— STURNIDiE. 



The third family of the Conirostral birds includes our 

 connnon British Starling and a great nmnber of other 

 interesting species. These birds have a long and com- 

 pressed bill, of which the upper mandible is nearly 

 straight to the tip, where it is usually more or less 

 curved downw,ards. Near the apex also the edges of 



