PTERIDOPHORA ALBERTI, Meyer. 
King' of Saxony’s Bird of Paradise. 
Pteridophora alberti, Meyer, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, iv. p. xi (1894). — Id. Abliandl. k. zool. Mus. Dresden, 
1894-95, no. 5, pp. 1-7, Taf. 1 (1895). — Rothschild, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, iv. p. xxi (1895). 
This marvellous Bird of Paradise does not require to be exactly compared with any other genus of the 
Paradiseidoe , for it is recognizable from any of them at a glance. It is, indeed, distinct from every form 
of bird in the world by reason of the two long streamers on the head, with their enamelled and dag-like 
appendages. 
Dr. A. B. Meyer, in his original account of the species, has given a note by Dr. Heller on the structure 
of these curious enamel-like processes, and an epitome of Dr. Heller’s observations will he found in the 
Introduction to the present work, under the heading of the genus Pteridophora. The structure of these 
enamel-like appendages is of the same class as the ornamental metallic or wax-like structure to be found 
in the crowns of the Curl-crested Toucan (. Pteroglossus beauharnaisi) and Cuming’s Bush-Cuckoo 
( Lepidogrammus cumin gi), the hackles of Sonnerat’s Jungel-fowl ( Gallus sonnerati), the tips to the 
secondaries of the Wax-wing ( Ampelis garrulus), the breast-feathers of the African Open-hill Stork 
( Anasfomus lamelli gents'), and other birds. 
It will be noticed that the shaft of the elongated crest-plumes is only feathered on one side, and that the 
enamel dag-like appendages appear blue on their outer aspect, and are internally brown. Each of these 
decorative streamers is inserted in a muscular sheath on the side of the head, and we may thus believe that 
the bird is able to erect or depress them at will. 
The home of this wonderful bird is New Guinea, and the drst specimens were received from the Amberno 
Mountains, w hich lie to the eastward of Geelvink Bay, in the north-w est of the great Papuan island. 
Adult male. General colour above velvety black, the feathers on the mantle and upper back elongated and 
apparently forming a shield ; the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts olive-brown, the latter a little 
darker ; lesser wing-coverts like the back, the median and greater coverts with a shaft-streak of ochreous 
huff; bastard-w'ing and primary-coverts black ; quills black, edged with ochreous brown, and distinguished 
by broad ochreous-buff bases to the feathers, extending for some distance up the inner webs ; the inner- 
most secondaries uniform black ; tail black ; head velvety black like the back, with two long streamers on 
each side of the crown, consisting of quadrangular enamelled plates of blue above, brown below, only found 
on one web of the feather ; sides of face and throat velvety black like the crown, the feathers on the 
sides of the fore-neck elongated and apparently forming a small shield; remainder of under surface of body 
pale yellow, becoming lighter and more isabelline on the abdomen and sides of body ; thighs dusky grey ; 
under wing-coverts and axillaries pale ochraceous buff like the quill-lining. Total length 8 inches, 
culmen 08, wing 4 - 85, tail 2‘9, tarsus T3. 
The description and figure in the Plate are taken from a specimen from the Amberno River, presented to 
the British Museum by the Hon. Walter Rothschild, 
