other species of the eight thousand different birds that are known to exist upon the earth ; and, combined with the most 
exquisite beauty of plumage, render this one of the most perfectly lovely of the many lovely productions of nature. My 
transports of admiration and delight quite amused my Aru hosts, who saw nothing more in ‘ Burong rajk' than we do in 
the Robin or Goldfinch. Thus one of my objects in coming to the far East was accomplished. I had obtained a specimen 
of the King Bird of Paradise, which had been described by Linnaeus from skins preserved in a mutilated state by the 
natives. I knew how few Europeans had ever beheld the perfect little organism I now gazed upon, and how very 
imperfectly it was still known in Europe. The emotions excited in the mind of a naturalist who has long desired to see 
the actual thing which he has hitherto known only by description, drawing, or badly preserved external covering, especially 
when that thing is of surpassing rarity and beauty, require the poetic faculty fully to express them. After the first 
King pirdwas obtained, I went with my men into the forest, and we were not only rewarded with another in equally perfect 
plumage, but I was enabled to see a little of the habits of both it and a larger species. It frequents the lower trees of the 
less dense forest, and is very active, flying strongly with a whirring sound, and constantly flying from branch to branch. 
It cats hard, stone-bearing fruits as large as a gooseberry, and often flutters its wings after the manner of the South 
American Manakins, at which times it elevates and expands the beautiful fans with which its breast is adorned. The 
natives ol Aru call it ‘ Goby-goby.’ It is tolerably plentiful in the Aru Islands, which led to its being brought to Europe 
at an earl}’- period, along with Paradisea apoda. It also occurs in the island of Mysol, and in every part of New Guinea 
which has been visited by naturalists.” 
Since the publication of Mr. Wallace’s article, Sig. d’Albertis has taken it at Mt. Epa. Specimens have also been 
procured in Salwatti, by Bernstein and Von Rosenberg, and on the opposite coast, at Sorong. 
Adult Male. — Upper parts, including head and throat, fiery red, the feathers resembling spun glass, especially so upon 
the back; feathers covering the upper mandible for more than half its length, shading into a beautiful orange color; a small 
spot of very dark green over the eye; a broad band of iridescent green upon the breast, separated from the red of the 
throat by a fine line of golden-tipped feathers; a number of lengthened feathers from the sides under the wing. These 
feathers are gray, becoming pale buff near the ends, and tipped with metallic green. When spread, they resemble a fan. 
The rest ot the under parts white; under tail feathers gray. Two shafts project from the tail feathers, extending about four 
inches; near the tip an outer web of bright green appears, which is coiled into the form of a button; bill, yellow; legs 
and feet, pale blue ; iris, brown. 
Length (not including the extended shafts) 6.50; wing 4; tail 1.70; tarsus 1.12; upper mandible, from feathers to tip, .45. 
Adult Female . — Upper parts, including head, dark brown; under parts, buff, marked with dark brown; edges of tail 
feathers showing an olive tinge. 
The young bird has the upper parts light brown; outer edges of secondaries, orange; under parts, buff; flanks and 
throat marked with dark brown. 
The specimens represented in the plate are from birds in my collection. 
