the feathers of the mantle also mottled with black, the bases of the feathers being of this colour ; crown of 
head and nape velvety black, with a purplish gloss when seen away from the light ; wing-coverts and 
secondaries chestnut-red, like the back, the primaries black, chestnut on their outer webs ; tail uniform 
chestnut ; space around and behind the eye bare, as also a spot on the auricular region ; ear-coverts 
black ; sides of face and throat greyish white, faintly mottled with dusky bars of blackish ; rest of under 
surface of body buffy brown, washed here and there with pale rufous, the whole transversely barred with 
somewhat irregular cross lines of blackish brown, broader on the fore-neck and breast, and more faintly 
indicated on the abdomen, and especially on the long flank-feathers and under tail-coverts ; under wing- 
coverts bright chestnut, with dusky blackish cross bars : “ iris orange ” ( Gulllemard ). Total length 
125 inches, culmen 2*55, wing 6*5, tail 4 3, tarsus T7. 
Young male. At first resembles the adult female. A specimen collected by Dr. Wallace is in perfect 
plumage as regards its head, mantle, and breast, the rest of the body being in the chestnut plumage of 
the female, the tail being still entirely chestnut. At the same time the beautiful purple colour is being put 
on the wings by a gradual change of feather, and not by a moult; half the inner secondaries are chestnut, 
but more or less mottled with black, the purple colour appearing very plainly on the inner webs. 
With regard to the method of change in this species, Dr. Guillemard remarks as follows : — “ The head 
first assumes its black plumes, with darkening of the feathers, from within outwards, on the neck : the 
shield appearing gradually meanwhile. The neck then gets darker, and the wing-feathers begin to be tinged 
with violet, apparently commencing with the secondaries. As yet the lower breast and abdomen have 
remained unchanged, except that on the flanks the feathers are more plumose. In the next stage the upper 
parts, head, neck, and breast are complete, the wings tolerably so, while the tail is tinged with violet. The 
sub-alar plumes have appeared, but are short, of a dull buff, and barred with brown, though the wires are 
almost as long as in the adult, but are black with pale tips. The breast is still almost unchanged, except 
that it is somewhat yellower. The final change that appears to take place is the assumption of the yellow 
on the breast and plumes, and the deep violet-black tail. The native name for this bird in Salwatti is 
4 Palengo.’ ” 
The Plates are the same as those published by Gould in his 4 Birds of New Guinea,’ the adult male 
being figured in two positions; while the adult female, and the young male in two stages of plumage, 
form the subject of the second Plate- The descriptions are copied from my third volume of the 
4 Catalogue of Birds.’ 
