ciu szxviii.] CHANGES OF PLUMAGE. 5 jI 



the tail. The body, wings, aod tail are of a rich cttifue- 

 lirown, which deepeus oii the breivst to a blackisli-violct 

 or purple^brown. The whole top of the bead and neck 

 is of an exceedingly delicate straw-yellow, the feathers 

 being short and close set, so as to resemble plush or 

 velvet; the lower part of the throat np to the eye is 

 clothed with scaly feathers of an emeiald green colour, 

 and with a rich metallic gloss, and velvety plumes of a 

 still deeper greeu extend in a band across the forehead 

 and chiu as far as the eye, wbich is bright yellow. The 

 beak is pale lead blue ; and the feet, which are rather 

 large and very strong and well formed, are of a pale ashy- 

 jiink. The two middle feathers of the tail have no webs, 

 except a very small one at the base and at the extreme tip, 

 forming wire-like cinld, which spread out m an elegant 

 donble curve, asd vary from twenty-four to thu-ty-four 

 inches long. From eacli side of the body, beneath tlie wings, 

 Bprings a dense tuft of long and delicate plumes, sometimes 

 two feet in length, of the most intense golden-orange colour 

 and ver}' jjjlossy, but changing towat-ds the tips into a pale 

 brown. This tuft of plumage can be elevated and spread 

 out at pleasure, so as almost to conceal the body of tlie bu'd. 

 These splendid ornaments are entirely confined to the 

 male sex, while the female is really a very plain and 

 ordinaiydooking biixl of a uniform coffee-brown colour 

 which never clianges, neither does she possess the long 

 tail wires, nor a sinj^lo yelluw or green feather about the 

 head. The young males of the first year exactly resemble 

 the females,^ so that they can only be distiuguished by 

 dissection. The first cliauge is the acquisition of the 

 yellow and green colour' on the head and tliroat, and at 

 the same time the two middle tail feathers gi"ow a few 

 inches longer tlian the rest, but remain webbed on both 

 sides. At a later period these feathers are replaced by 

 the long hare shafts of the full length, as in the adult 

 bird ; but there is still no sign of the magnificent orange 

 fiide-plumes, which later still complete the attire of the 

 perfect male. To effect these changes there nmst be at 

 lea'^t three successive moidtings ; and as the birds were 

 found by me in all the stages about the same time, it 

 is probable that they moult only once a year, and that 



