306 
NATURE 
[Aug. 14, 1873 4 
recently published in the Sydney Mail, he speaks thus of 
the present sp‘cies ; — 
“A adag otier Sirds obtainel at Atam, [ muy mention 
a azw species of Bird of Paradise-bird which perhaps mty 
even prove to be of a new genus. [ secured oaly a mile 
and fe.nile, whici have bea transmitted to th: Zoological 
Society of London by the last A oril mail steamer, and they 
are wnigie specineas. It is evidently a very rare bird, 
for miny of tne natives dd not kaow it. bit others cilled 
it Qeamz. The peculiarity of tris bird consists in the 
formitioa of the bill, and the softness of the plumage. 
At first it does not apper to have the beauty usually seen 
in the birds of this group, but when more closely ob- 
served, and under a strong light, the plumage is seen to 
be both rich and brilliant. The feathers that arise from 
the base of the bill are of a metallic green and of a red- | 
dish cosp2r-colour; the feathers of the breast, when | 
| Laid quite smooth, are of a violet-grey, but when raised, 
form a semicircle round the body, reflecting a rich golden 
co’our. Other violet-grey feathers arise fron the flanks, 
edz2d by a rich metallic violet tint; but when the 
plumage is entirely expanded, the bird appears as if it 
had formed two semicircles around itself, and is certainly 
a very handsome bird. Above the tail and wings the 
feathers are yellowish, und2raeath they are of a darker 
shade. The head is barely covered with small round 
feathers, which are rather deficient behind the ears ; the 
shoulders are of a tobacco-colour, and underneath the 
throat of a black blending into olive colour; the feathers 
of the breast are violet-grey, banded by a line of olive, 
and those of the vent white. The bill is black, eyes 
chestnut, and the feet of a dark leaden colour. The 
The new Bird of Paradise, Drefanorn.s Albertisi. Upper figure, Male; lower figure, Female. 
food of this bird is not yet known, nothing having 
been found in the stomachs of those I prepared but clear 
water. 
Besides this Paradise-bird, M. D’Albertis procured from 
the natives, in the vicinity of Orangeri Bay, on the 
western coast of New Guinea, opposite to Salawatty, two 
imperfect skins of a second apparently new species. This 
is a true Paradisea, nearly allied to the Greater and 
Lesser Birds of Paradise (P. afoda and P. papuana), but 
having the long lateral plumes more of an orange-red, as 
in P. rubra. These skins were likewise exhibited at the 
Zoological Society’s meeting on June 17 last, and the 
species, in accordance with M. D’Albertis’ wishes, was 
proposed to be called Paradisea raggiana, after the Mar- 
quis Raggi. 
As the collection of birds which contained these two 
new Paradise-birds only reached me on the morning of 
the same day as the meeting of the Society, it was not 
possible to make an accurate examination of all of them 
before the meeting, and the two Paradise-birds, being the 
most remarkable among the novelties, were alone de- 
scribed. But I have now had time to examine the whole 
series carefully, and find that it contains 70 specimens 
referable to 53 species. Twelve of these (besides the two 
Paradise-birds) appear to be new to Science, and will be 
described and named at the first meeting of the Zoological 
Society in the autumnal session. Besides these novelties 
there are examples of several other birds recently described 
by Dr. Schlegel from Rosenberg’s collections, and of other 
rare species, P. L. SCLATER 
