918 The American Naturalist. [November,. 
This is the species early brought to Europe by travellers, and 
even made an object of commerce. No wonder that, deprived 
of its sturdy, somewhat ugly legs and feet, people fabled the 
lovely creature to be not of earth but aerial, never settling on 
gross, material things, nor living on terrestrial food, but pass- 
ing its halcyon existence above mundane growths, or like 
matchless Belinda’s lock, wafted to the skies: 
“A sudden star, it shot through liquid air, 
And drew behind a radiant trail of hair." 
Which last line, it has always seemed to me, fairly well de- 
scribes the appearance of a shafted bird of paradise while in 
flight. 
In his travels along the Fly River, N. G., in 1872-5, D'AI- 
bertis found (what he considered new to science) Paradisea 
raggiana, so named by Mr. Sclater, after Marquis Raggi, of 
Genoa. This beautiful bird of paradise the Italian explorer 
described by its differences from P. apoda and P. minor rather 
than by any special marks of itsown. Itis less in size than the 
great-bird, but in luxuriance of plumage almost its equal. In 
opulence of colors, too, it vies with the loveliest. A golden belt 
widening above divides the green throat from the ruby breast ; a 
splash of the same color appears on the wings, while the back is 
untinged. Red prevails on the side wings running along the 
floating plumes. It is very probable that P. apoda and P. 
raggiana, interbreed ; possibly other varieties. D'Albertis notes. 
several evident instances of hybrids, and names the character- 
istie markings of those specified—the yellowish tinge at the 
back of the throat, the small wing feathers banded with gold, 
etc. The velvety softness of the feathers is as observable in 
Raggiana as in all birds of paradise, while the exquisite inter- 
mingling or suffusion of vivid colors, although at the same 
time these are quite distinct, is just as inimitable. Long, curv- 
ing wire-shafts adorn this species also. 
Of less flaming colors than the last mentioned species, al- 
though the transition of hues is even still more wonderful, 
and lacking the flowing train of plumes and caudal append- 
ages of other members of its kind, the Lophorhina superba or 
EEG CORRUIT et 3 
le 
— tet 
