IANTHOTHORAX BENSBACHII, Butm. 
Bensbach’s Bird of Paradise. 
lanthothorax bensbachii, Biittik. Notes Leyden Mus. xvi. p. 163 (1894). — Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, iv. 
p. xii (1894). 
The type specimen of this species, which Dr. Biittikofer has rightly recognized as belonging to a 
distinct genus of Paradiseidoe, is in the Leyden Museum, where I examined it in 1895. The genus is 
nearly allied to Ptilorhis and Craspedophora, and has the flank-feathers developed as in those genera ; but it 
lacks the metallic breast-shield of these latter, from which lanthothorax is further distinguished by its 
elongated central tail-feathers, which are metallic. As Dr. Biittikofer has pointed out, moreover, it has the 
first primary emarginate near the end of the inner web, as in Astrapia and Parotia. 
The home of this beautiful species is said to be in the Arfak range of mountains in North-western New 
Guinea, and the type specimen was presented to the Leyden Museum by Mr. J. Bensbach, the Dutch 
Resident at Ternate, in whose honour the species has been named by Dr. Biittikofer. 
The type specimen described below is not quite fully adult, having a few brown immature feathers left. 
Adult male. General colour above purplish black, with dark steel-green and purplish gloss when held away 
from the light ; the lower back and rump apparently of the same colour as the back in the adult bird, but 
in the present specimen these parts are sandy brown ; wings apparently black in full plumage, with a 
gloss of metallic green, but the wing-coverts sandy brown and the quills bronzy brown, the innermost 
secondaries paler brown towards the ends ; upper tail-coverts steel-green ; tail-feathers bronzy brown, 
externally metallic steel-green, with black shafts, but the green more of an oily shade ; crown of head 
metallic oily or golden green, with steel-green and even bronzy reflections ; sides of face and throat 
also metallic green, inclining to steel-blue on the throat, the lower throat scaly in appearance, more 
bronzy green, with purplish and even leaden-green reflections ; fore-neck and breast purplish black, forming 
an ill-defined shield ; the abdomen browner, but glossed with purplish black ; flank-feathers close-set and 
long, dark brown, the longer feathers with elongated points, on which the barbs are very much dissociated: 
bill and feet black ; iris red {Bensbach). Total length 13 inches, culmen L 75, wing 67, tail 4 - 75, centre 
tail-feathers 8, tarsus 1*6. 
The figure in the Plate is copied from a painting of the type specimen by Mr. Keulemans. 
