PHONYGAM A PURPUREO-VIOLACEA, Meyer. 
Purple-and-Violet Manucode. 
Phony gama purpureo-violcicea, Meyer, Zeitschr. ges. Orn. ii. p. 375 , Taf. xv. ( 1885 ). — Id. Ibis, 1886 , p. 242 . — 
D’Hamonv. Bull. Soc. Zool. France, xi. p. 510 ( 1886 ). — -Sharpe in Gould’s B. New Gum. vol. i. pi. 35 
( 1887 ). — Salvad. Agg. Orn. Papuasia, ii. p. 148 ( 1890 ). — De Vis, Ann. Rep. Brit. New Guin. p. 60 
( 1890 ). — Id. Colonial Papers, no. 103 , p. 112 ( 1890 ). — Id. Ibis, 1891 , p. 36 . — Salvad. Agg. Orn. 
Papuasia, iii. p. 239 ( 1891 ). 
Writing in 1887, in the late Air. Gould’s ‘ Birds of New Guinea,’ I suggested that the present species 
might possibly be the same as Plionygama hunsteini , described by me from a specimen procured by 
Mr. Hunstein at East Cape in South-eastern New Guinea. I came to this conclusion after an examination 
of a series of birds collected by Mr. H. O. Forbes in the Astrolabe Mountains. During the six years 
which have elapsed since I last examined into this question I have seen but few specimens of 
P. purpureo-violacea, but everyone of them has so far confirmed the characters assigned by Dr. Meyer to 
the species. I now therefore consider that P. hunsteini must be kept distinct from the other species 
of the genus Phony gama , differing especially in its larger size. 
I was at one time inclined to unite the present species with P. jamcsi, and made the following 
remarks : — 
“ The series before us at the present moment leaves very little doubt that the Phony gama recently 
described by Dr. Aleyer, and figured by us in the accompanying Plate, is distinct from P. keraudreni and 
P. hunsteini ; but it is apparently the same as Plionygama jamesi, a species described by us in 1877 from 
Aleya, in South-eastern New Guinea. The chief difference between these two species is that 
P. purpureo-violacea is more purple above and steel-blue below, and P. jamesi is metallic green above 
and steel-green below. But between these extremes of colour every transition is found in the series now 
before us ; and it should be noted that the type specimen of P. jamesi is moulting, and that the old 
feathers of the wing are very dull purple, while the new ones are bright purplish blue externally. In fine, 
without asserting dogmatically that P. jamesi and P. purpureo-violacea are the same, we have very little 
doubt in our own minds that they are, and that the steel-blue and green shades become gradually faded 
into purple or purplish blue.” 
On looking over the series of specimens in the British Museum, I am now inclined to think that 
P. jamesi may be distinct from P. purpureo-violacea , the latter being entirely purple above and below 
instead of steel-blue or steel-green. 
The following description is taken from a specimen procured at 7000 feet elevation on the Owen- 
Stanley Range by Mr. Goldie and now in the British Aluseum : — 
Adult male. General colour above purple, slightly shot with steel-blue or purplish blue on the lower back; 
wings rather more bronzy purple than the lower back, inclining to purplish blue on the margins of some 
of the feathers ; the small coverts adjoining the bastard-wing steel-green ; quills black, externally purple, 
the primaries shaded with steel-blue on the margins ; tail-feathers purple, the inner webs black, the 
centre feathers somewhat bronzy ; head with crested lateral tufts metallic steel-green all over, somewhat 
inclining to oily-green under certain lights, the hinder neck metallic purplish blue; sides of face and throat 
metallic steel-green, shading off on the fore neck and underparts into dark steel-blue, washed with purple; 
under wing-coverts like the breast; quills black below. Total length 10‘5 inches, culmen 1*3, wing 64, 
tail 4-7, tarsus T4. 
The figures in the Plate represent an adult bird in two positions, drawn from a specimen procured by 
Mr. Goldie in the Owen-Stanley Range and now in the British Museum. 
