THE BIRDS OF PARADISE. 
193 
pared by the natives. In its dark velvety plu¬ 
mage, glossed with bronze and purple, it resem¬ 
bles the Seleucides alba, but it bears a magnifi¬ 
cent tail more than two feet long, glossed on the 
upper surface with the most intense opalescent 
blue. Its chief ornament, however, consists in 
the group of broad plumes which spring from 
the sides of the breast, and which are dilated at 
the extremity, and banded Avith the most vivid 
metallic blue and green. The bill is long and 
curved, and the feet black, and similar to those 
of the allied forms. The total length of this 
fine bird is betAveen three and four feet. 
This splendid bird inhabits the mountains 
of NeAv Guinea, in the same district Avith the 
“Superb” and the “ Six-shafted” Paradise 
Birds, and I Avas informed is sometimes found 
in the ranges near the coast. I Avas several 
times assured by different natives that this bird 
makes its nest in a hole under-ground, or 
under rocks, ahvays choosing a place Avith 
tAvo apertures, so that it may enter at one and 
go out at the other. This is very unlike AA'hat 
Ave should suppose to be the habits of the bird, 
but it is not easy to conceive hoAv the story orig¬ 
inated if it is not true; and all travelers knoAV 
that native accounts of the habits of animals, 
hoAvever strange they may seem, almost invari¬ 
ably turn out to be correct. 
The Scale-breasted Paradise Bird (Epi- 
machiis magnijicus of (Cuvier) is noAv generally 
placed Avith the Australian Rifle birds in the 
genus Ptiloris. Though very beautiful, these 
birds are less strikingly decorated Avith acces¬ 
sory plumage than the other species Ave have 
been describing, their chief ornament being a 
more or less developed breast-plate of stiff me¬ 
tallic green feathers, and a small tuft of some- 
Avhat hairy plumes on the sides of the breast. 
The back and Avings of this species are of an 
intense velvety black, faintly glossed in certain 
lights Avith rich purple. The tAA'o broad middle 
tail feathers are opalescent green-blue Avith a 
velvety surface, and the top of the head is cov¬ 
ered Avith feathers resembling scales of burn¬ 
ished steel. A large triangular space covering 
the chin, throat, and breast is densely scaled 
Avith feathers, having a steel-blue or green lus¬ 
tre, and a silky feel. This is edged beloAV Avith 
a narroAV band of black, folloAved by shiny 
bronzy-green, beloAV Avhich the body is covered 
Avith haiiy feathers of a rich claret color, deep¬ 
ening to black at the tail. The tufts of side 
plumes someAvhat resemble those of the true 
Birds of Paradise, but are scanty, about as long 
as the tail, and of a black color. The sides of 
the head are rich violet, and velvety feathers ex¬ 
tend on each side of the beak OA’er the nostrils. 
I obtained at Dorey a young male of this 
bird, in a state of plumage Avhich is no doubt 
that of the adult female, as is the case in all 
the allied species. The upper surface, Avings, 
and tail are rich reddish-broAvn, Avliile the 
under surface is of a pale ashy color, closely 
barred throughout Avith narroAv AvaA-y black 
bands. There is also a pale banded stripe OA-er 
VoL. XXXIX.— No. 230.-13 
I the eye, and a long dusky stripe from the gape 
doAvn each side of the neck. This bird is four¬ 
teen inches long, Avhereas the native skins of 
the adult male are only about ten inches, OAving 
to the Avay in Avhich the tail is pushed in, so as 
to give as much prominence as possible to the 
ornamental plumage of the breast. 
At Cape York, in North Australia, there is a 
closely allied species, Ptiloris Alberti, the female 
of Avhich is very similar to the young male bird 
here described. The beautiful RiHe birds of 
Australia, Avhich much resemble these Paradise 
Birds, are named jyaradiseusuwd Ptiloris 
Victorke. The Scale-breasted Paradise Bird 
seems to bo confined to the main land of Noav 
Guinea, and is less rare than several of the oth¬ 
er species. 
There are three other NeAv Guinea birds 
Avhich are by some authors classed Avith the 
Birds of Paradise, and Avhich, being almost 
equally remarkable for splendid plumage, de¬ 
serve to be noticed here. The first is the 
“Paradise Pie” (^Astrapia nigra of Lesson), a 
bird of the size of Paradisea rubra, but Avith a 
very long tail, glossed above Avith intense vio¬ 
let. The back is bronzy-black, the loAver parts 
green, the throat and neck bordered AA'ith loose 
broad feathers of an intense coppery hue, Avhile 
on the top of the head and neck they are glit¬ 
tering emerald-green. All the plumage round 
the head is lengthened and erectile, and Avhen 
spread out by the living bird must have an ef¬ 
fect hardly surpassed by any of the true Para¬ 
dise Birds. The bill is black and the feet yel- 
loAV. The Astrapia seems to me to be some- 
Avh at intermediate betAveen the Paradiseidai and 
Ephnachidee. 
There is an allied species, having a bare ca¬ 
nine ulated head, Avhich has been called Para- 
digalla carunculata. It is believed to inhabit, 
Avith the preceding, the mountainous interior 
of NeAv Guinea, but is exceedingly rare, the 
only knoAAui specimen being in the Philadelphia 
Museum. 
The Paradise Oriole is another beautiful 
bird, Avhich is noAV sometimes classed Avith the 
Birds of Paradise. It has been named Para¬ 
disea aurea and Oriolus aureus by the old natu¬ 
ralists, and is noAV generally placed in the same 
genus as the Regent Bird of Australia (Seri- 
culus chrysocephalus). But the form of the bill 
and the character of the plumage seem to me 
to be so different that it Avill have to form a 
distinct genus. This bird is almost entirely 
yelloAv, Avith the exception of the throat, the 
tail, and part of the Avings and back, Avhich are 
black; but it is chiefly characterized by a 
quantity of long feathers of an intense glossy 
i orange color, Avhich cover its neck doAvn to the 
middle of the back, almost like the hackles of 
a game-cock. 
This beautiful bird inhabits the main land of 
Ncav Guinea, and is also found in Sahvatty, but 
is so rare that I Avas only able to obtain one im¬ 
perfect native skin, and nothing whatever is 
knoAvn of its habits. 
