The Hi fiery of A N I M A L S. 409 
The front of the head is ornamented with a quantity of fine, foft* and fhort fea¬ 
thers, of a deep gioffy black; thei’e furround the whole bafe of the beak, both above 
and below, and have the appearance of velvet: the reft of the head is of a deep 
greeniili-black, with a changeable (bade of blue and purple thrown over it, as we fee 
in the changeable colours on the neck of a peacock : the neck is of a ftrong yellow, 
with fome tinge of brownifh with it, but the back and the covering feathers of the 
wings are of a pure, unmixed, gold yellow ; the bread; is of a paler yellow, and the 
belly is whitilh, but with a tinge of ftraw colour. 
The long feathers of the wings are of a deep chefnut-brown ; the tail alfo is of 
the fame colour, but there is an appearance of it’s being of a filvery white : there are 
a multitude of very long feathers, of an elegant and a lingular ftru&ure, which have 
their origin from the fides of the body under the wings, and about the thighs; thefe 
are from fix to ten inches in length, and of a fmgularly delicate ftru&ure : they are of 
a filvery white, and they hang all over the tail, fo that they have been miftaken by in¬ 
accurate obfervers for the tail itfelf: the two long feathers of the tail exceed thefe con- 
liderably in length, and are brown, very gioffy, and filming. 
This is fent over dried, among the others, as a curiolity to Europe; and many of 
the writers on birds have defcribed it, though moft of them imperfectly. Marcgrave, 
having before defcribed a larger kind, calls this Manucodiata, live avis Paradili altera; 
and Ray, Willughby, and others have continued the fame name to it. 
Paradifcea gutture viridefcenle s pe&ore nigro purpurea. 
The P aradifcea^ with a greenifh throaty and a hlackijh-purple breafi. 
This fpecies is about equal to the fparrow in the real fize of it’s body, but it’s fea¬ 
thers ftand fo loofe, and it’s wings are fo large and long, that, when they are clofed, it 
has the appearance of a much larger bird ; moft of the birds of Paradife are hand- 
fome, but this is more fo than almoft any of them : the head is moderately large, and 
is flatted on the crown : the eyes are very fmall and black; the beak is two fingers 
breadth long, and is almoft ftraight, only the upper chap is fomewhat longer than the 
under one, and at it’s point bends a little over it: the whole beak is of a dufky olive 
colour, approaching to black; but the under chap is fomewhat paler than the other, 
and the noftrils are fmall, depreffed, and of an oval figure. 
The head is covered with a peculiar kind of feathers; they are extreamly narrow, 
and referable rough filaments of filk ; they are of a gold yellow, except at the bafe, 
where they are brownifh: the fides of the head, from the eyes down to the neck, are 
covered with the fame fort of fine narrow feathers, but they are of a deep blackifh 
colour, with a (hade of changeable green and blue, fuch as is feen on the neck of a 
peacock: the breaft is covered with elegant long and narrow feathers, of a beautiful 
gioffy appearance, and of a colour made up of a deep brown, approaching to black, 
and a ftrong red : the belly is of the fame colour, only confiderably paler ; and the 
back, the wings, and the tail, when viewed in a full light, appear only of a dufky 
velvety-brown; but, viewed in different directions, it is feen that this colour is corn- 
pofed of a mixture of brown and fcarlet. 
The long feathers of the wings are extreamly elegant; they are from five to four¬ 
teen inches in length, thefe alfo in fome lights have a fhade of brown upon them, in 
fuch manner, that they feem Amply of that colour; but, viewed in other directions, 
they fhew a moft elegant gold yellow, a high fcarlet, and a flaming orange colour : 
the tail has the fame variegations, but this is in great part covered by the long and nar¬ 
row feathers, which grow from the fides of the body : the two long feathers of the 
tail are, like thofe of the wings, of a mixed colour, part yellow, part red, but with a 
fhade of brown over all. 
The legs are moderately long, and very (lender ; they are of a dufky olive colour: 
the toes are long and (lender, and the claws very long, fharp, and of a pale brown. 
5 M This 
