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bird IS thefiTialleftoftI.e genus. Tliewings are con- 
fiderably longer than the body; the bill is white; 
the lower part of the upper mandible is covered 
with a fort of red filky down, as well as the fore- 
part of the head, but the middle part about the 
eyes is full of black fpecks ; the feathers on the 
neck and breaft, which refemble filk, are of a deep 
black colour; the back, wings, and tail, are of a 
dufky yellow; beneath the breaft is a black ftripe 
as broad as the little finger; and the feathers which 
cover the belly are white, but black near the wings. 
The naked quills are (lender and black, and rolled 
up into a kind of balls at the ends; on one fide of 
which balls there are very fine fliaggy hairs, their 
upper parts being of a fliining deep green, and their 
under ones of a duflcy yellow. 
Bird of Paradise, King, of Sonnerat, 
This bird, as defcribed by that very ingenious voy- 
ager, and accurate naturalift, who fays that all his 
predecefibrs have eicher given an imperfeft idea 
of it, or copied it from defcftive models, is about 
the fize of the common European blackbird. It's 
head, neck, throat, back, tail, and wings, are of a 
fhining red, as bright and vivid as carmine, and of 
a foft and filky appearance. The middle of the 
belly is white, terminated by a tranfverfc bar of 
green below the neck ; the feathers which form this 
bar being of a brightnefs and polifli refembling 
metal. On each fide of the belly, beneath the 
wings, there are long feathers, brown at their bafes, 
and alfo a confiderable way upwards, but termi- 
nating in green points of the fame luftre as the 
tranfverfc bar on the breaft. From the middle of 
the tail proceed two long filaments or fliafts of 
blackifh feathers without beards, which extend far 
below the tail and wings ; and, near their extremities, 
thefe fiiafts become bearded on one fide, and con- 
volving themfelves, form a pretty large circle, with 
an opening in the centre; which circle is of an eme- 
rald colour, briglit and varying. Above the eyes 
there is a black fpot; the irides are yellow; and the 
bill and feet are of this laft colour. 
Bird of Paradise, Golden. This fpecies is 
fomewhat larger than a fw allow. The bill, which is 
pretty long in proportion to it's fize, is of a brov/n- 
ilh colour towards the head, and black at the point, 
with a little incurvation downwards. Betv/een the 
eyes and the bill there are fome black velvet fea- 
thers, narrow at the bafc of the upper mandible, 
and extending themfelves from the lower mandible 
about an inch down the throat. The head, the upper 
fide of the neck, and the back, are covered with fea- 
thers of a very fine reddifh orange or gold colour, 
long and loofe on the neck, and falling a little over 
the breaft. The breaft, the belly, and the larger fea- 
thers of the wings, are of a very beautiful yellow, or 
pale orange colour; and the covert-feathers of the 
wings are black, with a flight mixture of yellow. 
The golden or yellov/ colour of this bird is fo ex- 
tremely vivid, as to baffle all imitation. The tail-fea- 
thers are of a deep black above, and of a rufty black 
beneath, the under-parts of their fliafts appearing 
yellov/ifh; and all of them have very narrow bor- 
ders of yellow juft at their tips. The legs are of 
an olive colour, and the claws are pretty ftrong. 
Bird of Paradise, Pyed. This bird has a 
dufky or black bill, compreffed like that of a 
duck, and at the bafe of the upper mandible there 
are black ftiff hairs. The head and neck are entirely 
black, adorned with a creft of loofe flender fea- 
thers bending backwards. The body, except the 
wings, is wholly white; the prim.e quills, v/hich are 
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black, have a little whitenefs at their roots, and the 
baftard-wing which covers their bottoms is of the 
fame colour. The quills next the back are black 
in the middle, and white on the edges; the row of 
feathers immediately above them is the fame; and 
the lefl^er covert-feathers of the wings are white, 
with a very fine dalh of black down each feather. - 
The tail is as long as that of a magpye, the two 
middle feathers exceeding the reft by ten inches: 
the tail-feathers are white, the fliorter ones being 
tipped and bordered with a fringe of black ; and the 
fiiafts of thefe feathers are black, except fo much 
of the long ones as extends beyond the fhorter. 
The legs, feet, and claws, are of a lead colour i 
and the feet refemble thofe of the king's-fifher, 
the middle and exterior toes of each foot being join- 
ed together almoft to the claws, and the middle 
and inner ones to the firft joint. 
Bird of Paradise, Violet-Throated, or 
Superb. This fpecies, vv^hich is fomewhat larger 
than a blackbird, has a black tuft proceeding from 
the bafe of the bill, compofed of fine fl^iort feathers 
ftanding ereft. The head, the fuperior part of the 
neck, and the -back, are covered with green plu- 
mage of a golden tinge ; which, both to the eye and 
touch, has all the glofs and fofcnefs of velvet. 
The win^s are of a deep black, but without any 
glofs ; while the tail, on the contrary, though en- 
tirely black, appears like velvet, and is flighrly 
fliaded with blue. The throat is of a vary- 
ing violet, the feathers which cover it having a 
filky appearance; and the belly is of a vivid green, 
both fides, beneath the wings, having tufts of 
black velvet plumes of the fame length as the 
wings. The bill is black, and the legs are brown. 
This very elegant fpecies was firft difcovered by 
Sonnerat, in his voyage to New Guinea; of which 
country it appears to be a native. 
Bird of Paradise, Golden-Throated. This 
bird is nearly of the fize of the common dove. 
From the fuperior part of the bill fprings a tuft, 
which the animal feems capable of elevating, and 
which is compofed of the moft beautiful feathers, 
pretty ftrong, and furnifhed with flight v/ebs. The 
bafe of the tuft towards the bill is wholly black; 
but the reft of it is black and white intermixed. 
The upper-part of the head, the clieeks, and the 
beginning of the throat, are of a fine black fiiaded 
with violet. Behind the head there is a gold-co- 
loured band, compofed of the fame kind of fea- 
thers with thofe which cover the throat. Thefe 
feathers, which are long, narrov^ and thick let, are 
black at their roots, of a reddifh caft upwards, and 
they terminate in golden lips: yet they are arranged 
in fuch a manner, that nothing but the gold-colour 
is externally perceptible. This colour, hov/ever, 
varies according to the lights in which it is viewed : 
fometimes it appears like different fhades of gold; 
at others with an admixture of green, red, or violet ; 
and not unfrequently with ail thefe colours at once. 
■The back is a deep black with a flight tinge of 
violet; and the tail and wings, which are black, 
have a velvet glofs. From the Under-part of the • 
wings proceed long black feathers pointing up- 
wards, which embrace the wings v/hen clofed; the 
beards of thefe feathers are not united together, but 
feparated like thofe of the oftrich. 
This bird is peculiarly diftinguifhed from all 
others of the genus by three long feathers 
lp)ringing from both fides of the head, behind and 
a little below the eyes ; thefe extend to a fourth 
part the length of the tail, and terminate in black 
webs 
