1895.] The Birds of New Guinea. 41] 
fessed, it is not native. It has been rediscovered since in 
Waigiou and Batanta. The anomalous feature characterizing 
the Red Magnificent or Schlegel’s Paradise bird—a_ better 
name—as it is sometimes called, and setting it entirely apart 
from its relations, is its bald head. This might seem a sad 
blemish to beauty, but as if to atone for a caprice, nature has 
painted the spot a deep blue and intersected it with lines of 
dark feathers. The wings, back, and lesser fringe are blood- 
red, hence the specific term, with dark shadings; the mantle 
springing from the neck is a bright yellow, while the breast 
reveals emerald and all its reflections in its dark depths. 
These are the predominant tones, but they emit and shade 
off into a hundred transitory hues, the metallic surface 
changing fitfully with every changing light. Around this 
breast shield runs a narrow fringe of dark, thin filmy plumes, 
cut like a pattern with waving edges of an old-gold color. 
The tail is brown, squared but with rounded corners; from 
the rump two centre feathers much elongated and very nar- 
row project, cross each other twice and then become involved 
in an incomplete circle. These curious appendages are much 
shorter than those of the Magnificent Paradise-bird, but are 
curved with even greater elaboration, though lacking the 
bold, sweeping lines of that fine species. 
The bird is+a small one, not much over seven inches in 
length ; the female equals her mate in size, but, of course, is 
deficient in every other respect with this exception, that she is 
partially bald. Her dress is a uniform brown and yellow, 
with gray speckled breast. 
In taking leave, for the present, of the birds of paradise, 
mention may be made of the Paradise Oriole, Sericulus aureus, 
a separate genus but bearing certain marks of a character 
similar to the group already considered. Mr. Stone records 
the bird as found in southern New Guinea, although he does 
not appear to have collected it, while Mr. Wallace ascribes 
it to Salawatti as well, noting at the same time that it is exces- 
sively rare. In general coloring it is like our Baltimore Oriole, 
with an admixture of the flaming Scarlet Tanager (being 
still more in the tone of orange, like the Cock-of-the-rock) 
