( 11 ° ) 
The greater . Bird o/Paradise. 
T HIS Bird feemed to me to Be about the Size of a Black-Bird ; the Bill mea- 
fur’d an Inch and three Quarters, the Wing when clofed feven Inches, the long 
Shafts fpringing from the Rump twenty-feven Inches, the longed of the loft loofe 
Feathers fpringing from under the Wings twenty-one Inches ; from Bill-point to the 
End of the common or fhorter Feathers of the Tail twelve Inches. 
The Bill is pretty ftraight, bending but little toward the Point, of a dirty, yellowifh, 
green Colour ; the Nodrils are very near the Head ; the Fore-part of the Head is cover’d 
with black Feathers like Plufh or Velvet, with a finning Glofs, which encompafs the 
Bill above and beneath $ the Throat or under Side of the Head is cover’d with green 
Feathers of the fame plufhy Stru&ure, fhining with a golden Glofs j the upper Part 
of the Head is cover’d with other pi ufh-like Feathers of a fine, golden, yellow Colour, 
which extend on the Sides of the Neck, and almod encompafs the Green on the 
Throat ; the Eyes are fmall and placed very near the Bill ; the Bread is cover’d with 
Feathers of the common Structure, and of a fine dark-blueifh Purple ; all the red 
of the Body, Back, Belly, Wings and Tail is of a bright-red difh Chefnut-Golour ; 
the Infide of the Wings and the under Side of the Tail are of a darker and duller 
Brown than the Upper; from the Rump fpring what may be call’d the two middle 
Feathers of the Tail twenty-feven Inches long, being only meer Stems of Feathers with- 
out any Webs, like Horfe-hairs, but differ and dronger, of a black Colour ; yet near their 
Bottoms or Roots, if examin’d, they will be found to have narrow Webs on both Sides 
of their Stems or Shafts, for about four Inches of their Length. This Bird is mod: re- 
markable for the Plats of Feathers that fpring from under the Wings on each Side, and 
extend themfelves a great Way backward, beyond the common. Feathers of the Tail. 
Thefe Feathers are of a very fine Structure, exceeding light, and the Webs fo very open, 
that they may be feen through like Gaufe. The longer Feathers are of a light-reddifh 
Brown, the fhorter (that fall over them) of a very bright Yellow, with a Dafh of Red 
at each of their Tips. They fall either above or beneath the Tail, but are fo loofe 
as to fhow the Tail through them either Way. It hath Legs and Feet of a mode- 
rate Proportion and Strength for its Bignefs, fhaped much like thofe of Pyes or Jays, 
of a dark-brown Colour, armed with Claws of middling Strength. 
This Bird is preferved at Salter's Cofifee-houfe in Chelfea , and is one of the mod perfed I have 
met with. They are brought from the Eaft-Indies , and are generally impeded, which has 
caufed them to be varioufly figur’d, and defcribed as different Species. I have feen other Birds 
of this Species, which differ from the above defcribed, in that their upper Sides of the Neck and 
Back were Yellow ; in having fome yellow Spots on the Covert-Feathers of their Wings ; in 
having the longed Feathers of the Sides that form their Train of a light-yellow or whitifh Co- 
lour, and their Bills dufky or black, tho’ all fhaped like the above defcribed, and apparently of 
the fame Species, I believe there may be found a dozen Defcriptions of this Bird, and there are 
four Figures in PVUlughby , given as fo many diftind Species : But as none of thefe were fatis- 
fadory to me, I have given this Figure and Defcription of a perfect Bird, which may more 
than anfwer the Purpofeof fo many. Mr. Albin^ Vol. III. pag. 9. of his Hidory of Birds, has 
given ns the lad and word Figure of this Bird, which, he fays, is from the Colledion of Sir 
Thomas Lowther ; he has given no Defcription of it in Particular, but only extraded from 
IVillughby fomething that is faid in general of this Genus. The Inhabitants of the Molucca 
Ifiands call them Manucodiat# , that is God's Birds , as Aldrovandus reports. I have not been able 
by all my Searches into the Colledions of Naturalids (where l have found many perfed and im- 
perfed) to difcover more than one Species of this Bird, with the flame-like Feathers extending 
to a great Length from under their Wings. 
C The 
C 
