252 



cassell's book of birds. 



resemble their 

 mother, but after 

 the first moulting 

 the throat is grey, 

 the second 

 the belly acquires 

 its yellow tint, and 

 the tufts upon the 

 sides begin to 

 make their appear- 

 ance. 



The Resplend- 

 ent Epimachus is 

 found exclusively 

 upon the island of 

 Salawati, frequent- 

 ing rocky districts 

 n considerable 

 numbers, and subsisting, we believe, upon insects and 

 various kinds of fruit. They usually congregate in small 

 parties, and fly together in search of food, seeming, when 

 upon the wing, to glide through the air with great facility. 



THE COLLARED EPIMACHUS (Epimachus magnus) 



THE COLLARED EPIMACHUS. 

 Collared Epimachus {Epimachus magnus) 

 represents another group of the same family. The beak 

 of this bird is long, arched, and slightly rounded at 

 the ridge ; the wings are moderate, the tail long and 

 graduated, the foot powerful, but of no great size ; the 

 breast only is adorned with tufts of feathers. This spe- 

 cies is about three and a quarter feet long, two feet of 

 which measurement are included in the tail. The head 

 is decked with small, round, scale-like feathers of a 

 bronze green colour, but gleaming with a blue and 

 golden light ; the long feathers growing upon the nape 

 are black and velvety ; the back is of similar colour, but 

 varied by the blueish green gloss of many long, broad 

 feathers. The lower part of the body is of a blackish 

 violet, and the long and graceful plumes that sprout from 

 the sides shine with a glossy splendour as they hang 

 negligently over the wings ; the beak and feet are black. 

 In the female the top of the head and nape are of a 

 cinnamon colour ; the rest of her plumage resembles the 

 male, but is rather paler. 



This splendid creature is so mutilated during its 



