PARADISE BIRD. 187 



crest, divided into two parts, and these, as well as those of the neck 

 above, and throat, are of the same texture ; neck behind, back, 

 rump, sides, and great part of the breast yellow ; lower part of the 

 belly, wings, and tail brown, deeper on the breast ; subaxillary 

 feathers situated as in the others, and of a fine red, but instead of the 

 two elongated, slender shafts, usually seen in other Species, this bird 

 has two appendages of the same kind, twenty-two inches long, as 

 thick as a goose quill, convex on one side, and concave on the other; 

 at the base of these are some very short barbs; the rest of the length 

 perfectly naked, and ending in a point. 



The specimen, from which the above account is taken, had neither 

 wings nor legs, nor was it said from whence it came. 



Among the drawings of Sir J. Anstruther, is one of these, the 

 total length two feet. Head, chin, and throat velvety, and fine 

 emerald green, changing to blue ; feathers of the crown rather long, 

 and may be erected over the forehead ; hind part of the neck, and 

 beginning of the back tawny yellow ; the rest rufous brown ; the 

 quills wanting, but the tufts springing from beneath them are fine 

 sanguineous red, and ending in herring-bone points ; the two 

 elongated quill-like appendages little more than fifteen inches, but 

 the same in size and form as in the other ; colour of them black. 



This is said to have been brought from some of the Eastern 

 Islands, the place not certain, thought to be Amboyna. A dried 

 specimen, much mutilated, was given to Lord Wellesley, by Mr. 

 Farquhar, Governor of Prince of Wales's Island, and was the only 

 one then known. Where M. Levaillant obtained the specimen from 

 which his figure, apparently perfect^ was taken, we are not informed. 

 We have lately seenj in Mr. Bullock's Museum, a fine specimen. 



B b 2 



