Birds op Paradise. BIRDS. Birds of Paradise. 351 
and throat chestnut colour instead of black. This bird 
is an inhabitant of the island of Waigiou. 
THE GOLDEN-BREASTED BIRD OF PARADISE 
{Parotia aurea), a native of New Guinea and Waigiou, 
is of about the same size as the preceding species, but 
is easily distinguished from all otlier known Birds of 
Paradise by the presence of six long filaments springing 
from the head, tliree on each side, measuring about six 
inches in length, and bearing at their extremities a few 
barbs, which form a small flat palette. The colour of 
these filaments and palettes is black, as is also the rest 
of the velvet-like plumage, except on the throat and 
the upper part of the breast, which are covered with 
scale-like feathers, exhibiting the most brilliant golden, 
coppery, and green tints. The frontal plumes are 
erect, and white at the tip, forming a sort of pearly- 
gray tuft on the front of the head ; and the flanks are 
covered with a dense tuft of rather elongated, black 
decomposed feathers, which conceal the wings. The 
female exhibits two ear-like tufts on the head, in the 
place of the singular filaments of the male. Her 
plumage is black, becoming sooty-brown on the back, 
and chestnut-red on the rump; her chin is reddish- 
brown, chest pale-tawny, and belly reddish, marked 
with deep brown longitudinal streaks. 
THE SUPERB BIRD OF PARADISE {Lophorhma 
superha) is smaller than any of the preceding species 
of this family, measuring only about nine inches in 
length. It is distinguished by having a small tuft of 
black plumes springing from each nostril. The plumage 
of this splendid bird is black, presenting green and 
purple glosses in difl'erent lights ; the front of the neck 
and breast are covered by a sort of breastplate of 
imbricated feathers, hanging down in front and terminat- 
ing in a wide fork. This breastplate exhibits the most 
brilliant tints of bronzed green and violet ; from the 
sides of tb.e neck spring numerous plumes, gradually 
increasitig in length, and of a rich violet black colour, 
which form a sort of mantle, partly concealing the wings. 
Of this species, which is one of the rarest of its family, 
the female is unknown. It is an inhabitant of Waigiou 
and New Guinea. 
THE KING BIRD OF PARADISE {Cicinnurus regms) 
is a still smaller species, measuring less than six inches 
in length. It is of a bright red colour above, and the 
whole of its plumage is of a velvet-like softness, both to 
the eye and to the touch. The plumes which clothe 
the nostrils and the forehead are of a fine orange colour ; 
at the angle of the eye there is a small black spot ; the 
chin and throat are brilliant yellow, bounded be- 
neath by a transverse brownish streak, below which is 
a broad band of metallic green ; the rest of the lower 
surface is white. On each side of the body, beneath 
the wings, there is a broad, flat plume of feathers, form- 
ing a sort of fan, in which each feather is truncated at 
the extremity. These feathers are gray, but towards 
their tips they are traversed by two bands — one white, 
the other red ; and beyond these bands the extremities 
of the feathers are brilliant emerald-green. From the 
tail, which is reddish-brown, spring two long, naked, 
red filaments, which acquire barbs towards the extremity, 
where they are rolled up in a spiral form ; these filaments 
are curved in such a manner as somewhat to resemble 
those in the tail of the Lyre-bird. The female is red- 
dish-brown above, and reddish-yellow, finely streaked 
with brown, beneath. This rare bird is a native of New 
Guinea. 
THE MAGNIFICENT BIRD OF PARADISE {Diphylludes 
magnijica), which is likewise known only as an inha- 
bitant of New Guinea, measures about eight inches in 
length, and is distinguished by the presence on each 
side of the neck of two peculiar tufts af feathers, fl’he 
uppermost of these tufts consists of small, narrow, 
yellow feathers, each with a black spot at the tip, which 
stand out nearl}^ at a right angle from the neck ; the 
lower tuft, which is larger, but less prominent, is com- 
posed of long, detached barbs, springing from short 
tubes ; they are of a straw colour, and truncated at the 
extremity. The front of the neck and breast are 
marked with alternate transverse lines of bright green 
changing to blue, and dark green; the colour of most of 
the rest of the plumage is brown ; the wings are reddish- 
yellow, and the head exhibits a metallic lustre. The 
tail is furnished with a pair of filaments about a foot in 
length, which terminate in a fine point, and exhibit 
brilliant blue and green tints. The female is unknown. 
THE INCOMPARABLE BIRD OF PARADISE {Astrapia 
nigra). — The name of Incomparable was given to this 
bird by Le Vaillant on account of the great beauty of its 
plumage, in which it seems to exceed all the other 
species of tins magnificent family. Its body is about 
nine inches long ; but the middle feathers of its elon- 
gated tail measure more than twice this length ; they 
are rounded at the extremity, so that the apex of the 
tail exhibits a strong notch, and the remaining tail- 
feathers, which gradually din.inish in length, are applied 
beneath them, in such a manner that the tail appears 
to consist only of these two feathers. The feathers of 
the sides and back of the head are elongated and silky, 
and carried back on the sides of the neck so as to form 
a sort of double crest ; the colour of the head is black, 
with a brilliant greenish gloss. The back of the neck 
and the back are of a brilliant golden greenish-bronze 
colour, exhibiting a wonderful play of tints when viewed 
in different lights ; the feathers of these parts are firm 
and imbricated, resembling the bright scales of a lisli. 
The front of the neck is also clothed with scale-like 
feathers, forming a sort of gorget ; the centre of this 
gorget is of the same colour as the back, but it is bor- 
dered by a sort of collar of the most brilliant colours — 
ruby-red, golden-orange, and violet. The remainder 
of the lower surface is of a deep, lustrous green colour. 
The wings and tail are violet black, but the feathers 
of the latter are marked beneath with transverse bands 
of brown. This splendid bird, which is exceedingly 
rare in collections, is a native of New Guinea. The 
female is still unknown. 
Family III.— STURNIDiE. 
The third family of the Conirostral birds includes our 
common British Starling and a great number of other 
interesting species. These birds have a long and com- 
pressed bill, of which the upper mandible is nearly 
straight to the tip, where it is usually more or less 
curved downwards. Near the apex also the edges of 
