BIRDS OP NEW GUINEA. 151 



monograph of Dr. Finsch, is a female, with the sides of the rump yellow ; but 

 in the same monograph a young bird in the British Museum, with the sides of 

 the rump red, is described, the author being at that time unaware that this 

 difference is a constant character belonging to the male. Through Dr. Meyer 

 we learn that even young males, which have the breast still green, show these 

 red rump-stripes very distinctly. We must mention, besides, that young birds 

 of Tr. pulchellus have the violet-black occipital patch mixed with green. 



The late George Robert Gray placed this species in Wagler's genus 

 Charmosyna, apparently on account of the resemblance in the marking and 

 colours, in which red prevails. This arrangement, based only on the colour- 

 ing, would be apparently more correct since we know through Dr. Meyer 

 that Tr. pulchellus shows the same sexual differences as Tr. (Charmosyna) 

 papuensis, Gmel., and the newly discovered Tr. (Charmosyna) josefince, Finsch ; 

 the sides of the rump, which are in the female bright yellow, are dark red in 

 the male : but a careful comparison of the generic characters convinces us 

 that Tr. pulchellus does not belong to the true Charmosyna. Its smaller size, 

 and principally the form and length of the quills and tail-feathers differ consi- 

 derably from those in Charmosyna : in the latter the two middle tail-feathers 

 are extremely long, with the apical portion narrowed and the next middle 

 pair projecting very much ; but the shape of the wings is still more singular 

 — the first four primaries being abruptly attenuated at the terminal portion 

 of the inner web, forming a narrow point, nearly like the first primary in the 

 genus Ptilopus. This significant character is pecuHar to both species of the 

 section Charmosyna. 



