PARAD1SEA DECORA, Salvia c-S* G adman. 
Grey-chested Bird of Paradise. 
Paradisea decora, Salvin & Godman, Ibis, 1883, pp. 131, 202, pi, viii. — Sharpe, in Gould’s Birds of New Guinea, 
i. pi. 27 (1885). — D’Hamonv. Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1886, pp. 507, 509. — Tristram, Ibis, 1889, p. 553. 
— Salvad. Aggiunte Orn. Papuasia, ii. p. 160 (1890). — De Vis, Ann. Rep. Brit. New Guinea, p. 61 
(1.890). — Id. Colonial Papers, no. 103, p. 113 (1890).— Id. Ibis, 1891, p. 37— Salvad. Ann. Mus. 
Civic. Genov. (2) x. p. 833 (1891). — Id. Aggiunte Orn. Papuasia, iii. p. 243 (1891). — -Sharpe, Bull. 
Brit. Orn. Club, iv. p. xiii (1894). — Hartert, Novit. Zool. ii. p. 61 (1895). — Rothschild, Novit. Zool. 
iii. p. 235 (1896). 
Paradisea susanna, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, viii. p. 21 (l 883).— Salvad. Ibis, 1884, p. 354. 
This beautiful species is an inhabitant of Fergusson Island, one of the D’Entrecasteaux group, where it 
was discovered by Mr. A. Goldie, a well-known botanical collector, who also obtained many fine species of 
birds on the mountains of South-eastern New Guinea. This Bird of Paradise, however, is the most splendid 
of bis discoveries. It is found, be says, “ in the mountains, at a considerable elevation above the sea, the 
first specimen obtained having been secured at the lowest point. The plumed males and the younger 
individuals were generally seen three or four together. Once heard, their call was unmistakable, being 
very like that of P. raggiana ; but the plumed and wired birds, after giving their call a few times, added 
to it a peculiar shrill whistle. Their motions whilst calling were identical with those of P. raggiana ; 
but, so far as we were able to observe, they had no particular tree for dancing in. The females were 
found alone. 
“ We neither saw nor heard P. raggiana on these islands ; and the new bird is not found on the mainland. 
On showing it to the natives of Chad’s Bay and China Straits along with a specimen of P. raggiana, they, in 
both cases, made us to understand that the latter is found in their country, whilst P. decora is not ; hut two 
or three of them in China Straits who had traded to the D’Entrecasteaux Islands made signs that the 
new bird was to be found there.” 
Since the species was discovered in Fergusson Island by Mr. Goldie it has been met with by several other 
collectors who have visited the locality. Mr. Basil Thomson obtained it on Mount Maybole in the north 
of the island, and believed that it was confined to that part only ; hut Mr. Albert Meek, who collected in 
Fergusson Island for the Hon. Walter Rothschild, found the species “ not rare, hut by no means very 
numerous on the hills of South Fergusson, from about 1500 feet upwards.” 
P. decora has red ornamental plumes like P. raggiana, hut it is easily distinguished by the straw-coloured 
hack, the absence of a yellow collar on the throat, the grey chest, and the patch of black plumes on each side 
of the abdomen. 
The following is a description of the type specimens of P. decora in the British Museum : — 
Adult male. General colour above golden straw-colour, a little deeper and more orange on the head and 
ear-coverts; wing-coverts light drab-brown, edged with golden straw-colour, the lesser and median coverts 
being entirely of the latter colour; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills light reddish brown, externally 
drab or ashy brown, the inner secondaries washed externally with straw-yellow ; tail-feathers pale reddish 
brown, washed with ashy, the two long centre feathers consisting of a black barbless shaft ; lores and 
base of forehead, cheeks, and throat metallic green, the upper throat, lores, and fore part of cheeks 
and throat appearing velvety black under certain lights ; fore-neck and breast lilac-grey, shading off into 
vinaceous grey on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; the long flank-plumes rich crimson, the feathers 
with very few barbs or barbules at the ends, these being hoary whitish ; on each side of the base of the long 
plumes a patch of slightly recurved black feathers with red bases ; under wing-coverts pale vinaceous 
grey; quills ashy below, the quill-lining ruddy vinous : “iris yellow 7 ” {A. Meelr). Total length 13 inches, 
culmen T35, wing 7, tail 55, tarsus T7. 
Adult female. Wants the ornamental plumes of the male and has a greyer back, with the feathers edged 
with dull straw-yellow ; the lores, cheeks, and throat, which are green in the male, are blackish brown in 
the female ; the rest of the under surface of the body vinous brown, with dusky vermiculations or cross-bars 
