RIFLE BIRD. —Ptilorii Paradisetis 



The plumage of the female and yoimg male bird is strongly contrasted with these 

 vivid colours, being as brown and homely as that of the English thrush, and giving no 

 indication of the gorgeous hues that dye the feathers of the adult male. The upper parts 

 of the female and undeveloped male are an obscure rusty brown, the wings and tail being 

 edged with a reddish hue. A whitish-buft" streak runs through the eye, and the under 

 surface is half- covered with many spear-headed black marks, something like the arrow- 

 headed characters of Mneveh, caused by the black hue which tips each feather, and very 

 partially stains their edges. 



Van der Hoeven, in his "Handbook of Zoology," places this bird in the genus 

 Epimachus, together with the two beautiful species which will be next described. It is 

 separated from them by other systematic zoologists, on account of the formation of the 

 tail, which is comparatively short, and the feathers of nearly equal length. 



The very remarkable bird which is depicted in the accompanying illustration has 

 been very appropriately named Neomorpha, or New-form, as it exhibits a peculiarity of 

 formation which, so far as is at present known, is wholly unique. 



When tliis bird was first discovered, Mr. Gould very naturally considered the specimen 

 with the straight beak to be of a different species from that which has the curved bill, and 

 accordingly set them down in his list under different titles. In process of time, however, 

 he discovered the real state of the matter, as will shortly be seen by his own account. 

 This very curious anomaly in form is of considerable value to systematic zoologists, 

 against over-estimating the importance of form in a single limb or organ. Any one would 

 be justified in considering so decided a difference of beak as a mark of distinction between 

 two separate species ; but it must not be forgotten that there are many genera, not only of 

 birds, but of every class of living beings, which have been established upon a far slighter 

 foundation than is afforded by the straight and curved beak of these birds, which have 

 been found to be nothing more than mere sexual distinctions of the same species. 



The locality and habits of the Neomorpha are briefly but graphically described by 

 Mr. Gould, in the following passage, which is taken from his "Birds of Australia": — 

 " These birds, which the natives call E. Elia, are confined to the hills in the ueiglibouihood 



