160 MENURA. 



ill resembling those which are situated beneath the wings of the 

 Paradise-Bird, but the vanes are at a quarter of an inch distance each, 

 stouter, and situated alternate on each side ; these feathers are twelve 

 in number, and more than two feet in length ; independent of these, 

 in the centre rise two slender ones, which are considerably longer 

 than the others, and are fully webbed on the outer side, but on the 

 inner the webs are short ; the exterior feather, on each side, is 

 singularly conspicuous, and a trifle shorter than the others, but the 

 webs are fully connected throughout; at the base the width is about 

 one inch, gradually increasing to the extremity, where the breadth 

 is full two inches, and considerably curved ; the outer web is pale 

 brown, and narrow, the inner very broad, inclining to grey; but 

 from the middle to the edge fine rufous, marked with sixteen curved 

 marks, at first view of a darker colour, but on closer inspection are 

 perfectly transparent ; the end of the curved part of the feather is 

 black, fringed all round with white; hence the tail, in the whole, 

 consists of sixteen feathers : the thighs are clothed with feathers to 

 the joint ; the legs glossy black, scaly, and rough ; the claws strong, 

 curved, and not unlike those of a Fowl, or Turkey. 



In the British Museum is a similar bird, which we suspect to be 

 a male, not arrived at full growth ; in this, the loose-webbed feathers 

 of the tail are only so from the middle to the ends, the rest of the 

 length being closely connected, as in other birds ; and not only the 

 exterior feather has the crescents, but the next adjoining on each 

 side, though much less distinct : in this, also, the two slender middle 

 tail feathers are wanting ; whether accidental or not, could not be 

 determined. 



Another of these, pointed out to me as differing in sex, had, as 

 usual, sixteen feathers in the tail, but two of the outer ones were 

 lunated, though less perfect ; they were also bent at the ends, but 

 no trace of black as in the first described ; also in this, supposed to 

 be a female, the two centre feathers were fully webbed, which in the 

 male are only so on one side of the shaft. In this too, I observed, 



