LAMPROTHORAX WILHELMIN4E, Meyer. 
Green-trained Bird of Paradise. 
Lamprothorax wilhelmwcs, Meyer, Abhandl. k. zool. Mus. Dresd. 1894-95, No. 2, p. 3, Taf. i. — Biittik. Notes 
Levd. Mus. xvi. p. 16’4 (1894).— Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, iv. p. xiii (1894). 
At the time of writing, only two specimens of this wonderful bird are known to me. One is the typical 
specimen in the Dresden Museum, and the other is in the Leiden Museum. The genus Lamprothorax 
occupies a well-marked position among the Birds of Paradise, and is distinguished from Lophorhina and the 
other allied genera by its square tail, with two elongated metallic green centre feathers. There is also 
a verv distinct frill round the hind-neck. 
The habitat of the species is the Arfak Mountains, in North-western New’ Guinea. Nothing is 
known of its habits or changes of plumage. 
The following description is taken from the specimen in the Leiden Museum : — 
Male (not quite full-plumaged). Velvety brown, blacker on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; the 
back much mixed with reddish-brown feathers, and especially on the wing-coverts ; the outer wing-coverts 
purplish violet, the quills blackish, glossed with purplish violet; the inner secondaries more or less reddish 
brown. The plumage of these parts is, I think, imperfect, and I expect that the wing will be velvety black ; 
tail black with a purplish-violet gloss, the two centre feathers metallic steel-green ; head and neck purplish 
violet, with a tinge of leaden grey, the lores and fore part of the cheeks having a velvety-black appearance; 
the feathers of the hind-neck elongated and forming a frill ; throat, sides of face, and sides of neck purplish 
bronze, with a bronzy shade on the sides of the face; chin and upper throat bronzy ; lower throat, fore-neck, 
and chest metallic green, forming a shield, with some beautiful reflections of purple and green, especially on 
the lengthened feathers on the sides of the shield : breast, abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts velvety 
black ; under wing-coverts with a violet shade. 
Total length 124 inches, culmen IT, wing 5, tail 2‘9, centre tail-feathers 5‘85, tarsus 1*4. 
The figure in the Plate represents a life-sized illustration of the specimen above described. It is drawn 
from a sketch made by Mr. Keulemans. 
