DIPHYLLODES SELEUCIDES, Less. 
Lesson’s Bird of Paradise. 
Le Manucode a. bouquet, on le Magnifique, Le Vaill. Ois. Parad. i. pis. 9, 10 (1800). 
Magnificent Paradise- Bird, Lath. Gen. Hist. iii. p. 189, pi. xlv. (1822). 
Diphyllodes seleucides, Lesson, Ois. Parad. pp. 16, 191, pis. 19, 20 (1835). — Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, iv. 
p. xiii (1894).— Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. (2) xvi. p. Ill (1896). 
? Diphyllodes magnificus, Lesson, Compl. Buff., Ois. p. 466 (1838). 
Towards the end of the year 1895, Mr. Dunstall, to whom the British Museum owes many fine acquisitions 
from New Guinea, brought for my inspection a large number of skins of Diphyllodes, which had been sent 
over to this country for the decoration of ladies’ hats. There were over a hundred of these skins, and 
among them were one or two specimens of D. magnified, but the bulk consisted of a form of Diphyllodes 
which I had not seen before. 
The specimens were believed to have come from the Arfak district, but the actual locality was unknown to 
Mr. Dunstall. Instead of having pale ochre-coloured wings, the latter were yellow, and this colour was 
very fairly constant in the large series examined by me. Although in a few examples a tendency to orange 
on the wings was exhibited, none of these approached the deep colour of D. chrysoptera or D. hunsteini. 
Although it is very difficult to determine the species figured in the works of the old authors, I believe 
that we may safely attach to this Arfak bird the name of D. seleucides of Lesson ; and doubtless some of the 
synonymy placed under the heading of D. magnified really belongs to D. seleucides, but it is impossible to 
determine this point at the present day. 
The existence of this race of Diphyllodes was known to Count Salvadori, who had some specimens before 
him from Andai and Mount Arfak when he was writing the 4 Ornitologia della Papuasia,’ and he remarked on 
the brighter colour of the wings in the males from these localities, which showed an approach to 
D. chrysoptera of Jobi Island. Whether a complete connection will some day be found between the three 
species of Diphyllodes which inhabit North-western New Guinea, can only be proved by some naturalist who 
is fortunate enough to have time and opportunity to follow up the exact distribution of these birds. 
The present species, as will be seen from the figures in the Plate, is very similar to D. magnified, but 
differs, as has been pointed out above, in the richer yellow colour of its wings. The specimens figured are 
in the British Museum. 
