4 So P A R A D I S E B I R D. 



black creft, compofed of fine, ftrait, and not very long feathers: 

 the head, hind part of the neck, and back, are covered with 

 green gold feathers ; thefe are broad, and well furmfhed with 

 webs, and have to the eye and touch every appearance of velvet, 

 laying fo over one another, that one may with propriety compare 

 them to fcales of a fiih : the wings are of a dull deep black : the 

 tail, on the contrary, has a blueifh glofs : throat changeable 

 violet, the feathers thereon like velvet : the belly bright green ; 

 on each fide, from under the wings, is a tuft of black velvety 

 feathers of unequal lengths, which rife fome height above the 

 back, having the appearance of fecond wings, and turn down- 

 ward towards the tail, many of thefe being as long as the wing 

 itfelf: the legs are brown. 



In the Leverian Mufeum is a bird fomewhat like this, and 

 nearly of the fame fize, but is wholly black on the head : from 

 the place of the wings arife two tufts fomewhat like thofe above 

 defcribed, but the wings themfelves are wanting: on the upper 

 part of the belly is the moft brilliant fet of black green glofiy fea- 

 thers imaginable, and in fhape exactly forked like the tail of a 

 Swallow ; the feathers of which this is compofed feem to be 

 longer than the reft of the belly feathers, and ftand out a little 

 from the belly : the legs feem ftrong and black. As this is an' 

 imperfect bird, I am unwilling to place it here as a fpecies, efpe- 

 cially as it is poffible that from the wing tufts it may prove re- 

 lated to the laft defcribed. 



L'Oifeau 



