Genus— PTILORIS. 
Ptiloris Swainson, Zool. Joum., Vol. I., pt. 4, 
p. 479, Jan. 1825. Type (by monotypy) .. P. paradiseus Swainson. 
Also spelt— 
PHlorhis Agassiz, Index Univrs., 12mo, p. 913, 1848. 
Ptilornis Gray, Handl. Gen. Sp. Birds, Vol. I., p 104, 1869. 
Tms and the next two genera are placed among the Birds of Paradise—a series 
of Papua-Australian birds of extraordinary variability in size and structural 
features, only agi’eeing in the development of wonderful adornments in the 
males, the females being comparatively plain-colomed normal birds. 
Paradise Birds with long curved biUs, roimded wings, medium square 
tails, and short stout legs and feet. 
The bill is long and curved, longer than the head, laterally much com¬ 
pressed, basally little expanded; culmen well arched, semi-keeled, tip decurved, 
edges of upper mandible semi-serrate; nostrils basal, hnear in a groove filled 
by encroaching frontal feathering which almost entirely hides the apertures; 
neither rictals nor nasal bristles noticeable ; bill at the base is deeper than 
broad ; interramal space very small and narrow, gonys very long and a little 
decurved, the feathers of the loral region approaching on sides of lower 
mandible, gape large and fleshy. 
The wing very rounded; the male has the second primary equal to the 
eighth, third a httle longer, and the fom'th, fifth and sixth subequal and longest 
but httle exceeding the others ; the fli'st primary is short and a httle more than 
half the length of the second; the first primary is narrow and strongly falcate, 
the second is less narrow' and less falcate, wliile the third is broad with a square- 
cut tip ; the secondaries are very broad and long rvith square ends, a httle 
shorter than the second primary; the female has the wing a httle different, 
the fii’st primary equal to half the length of tire tliird, the second a httle shorter 
than the tlrird, both fir’st arrd secorrd falcate, first rran’ow, second a httle broader, 
the tlrir'd broader rvith the edge of tire outer web at the tip rounded falcately 
but as long as the fomth and fifth, which are very broad rvith square tips, the 
others broad arrd a httle shorter successively inwar’ds; the secondaries are 
long arrd very broad, rreariy equalhng the second primary in length. 
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