Order PASSERIFORMES. 
No. 737. 
Family PARADI8EIDM. 
PTILORIS PARADISEA. 
RIFLE-BIRD. 
(Plate 590.) 
Pteloris paeadiseus Swainson, Zool. Joum., Vol. I., pt. 4, p. 481, Jan. 1825: North, 
New South Wales. 
Ptiloris* paradiseus^ Swainson, Zool. Journ., Vol. I., pt. 4, p. 481, 1825; (jould, Birds 
Austr., pt. xxvn. (Vol. IV., pi 100), June 1st, 1847; id., Handb. Birds Austr., 
Vol. I., p. 691, 1865 ; Diggles, Omith. Austr., pt. vi., 1866 ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds 
Brit. Mus., Vol. III., p. 154, 1877 ; Ramsay, Proc. Limi. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. II,, 
p. 191, 1878 ; Ramsay, Tab. List Austr. Birds, p. 11, 1888 ; Hall, Key Birds Austr., 
p. 9, 1899 ; Campbell, Neats and Eggs Austr. Birds, Vol. I., pp. 66, 1,073, 1901; 
Sharpe, Mon. Paradis., Vol. I., pi. i., 1891 ; North, Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., No. 1, 
Vol. I., p. 23, 1901; Mathews, Hand!. Birds Austral., p. 106, 1908; Mellor, Emu, 
Vol. X., p. 206, 1910 (Q.); Ramsay, ib., Vol. XIX., p. 7, 1919 (N.S.W.); S. A. 
Wliite, ib., p. 220, 1920 (Q.); Jackson, ib., p. 269 ; H. L. White, ib., Vol. XX., 
IJ. 103, 1920 (Eggs) ; Jackson, ib., pp. 103, 208, 1921 (Q.). 
Epimachvs regius Lesson, Voy. Coquille Zoo]., pi. 28, Nov. 1st, 1826 : Port Macquarie, 
New South Wales. 
Epimachus brisbanii Wilson, Illustr. Zool., pt. 3, pi. xi., 1827 : Port Macquarie, New South 
Wales. 
Plilorhis paradisea paradisea Rothschild, Ibis, 1911, p. 366 ; Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. 
XVin., p, 441, 1912. 
Ptiloris paradisea paradisea Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 312, 1913. 
Ptiloris paradisea queenslandica Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. V., pts. 2-3, p. 42, 
Feb. 21st, 1923 : Blackall Ranges, Queensland. 
Bistrlbution. Northern New South Wales, Southern Queensland. 
Adult male. Lores, top of the head and Iiind-neck burnished bronze-green; sides of the 
face, mantle, back, rump, wing-coverts and secondaries velvety-black, shaded 
with bronze-purple ; middle taU-feathers burnished steel-green, remainder of the 
tail black, margined on the outer w’eb wdth purple; primaries and secondaries 
velvety-black shaded wdth violet and purplish-blue; cliin and upper tlu'oat deep 
velvety-black glossed with purple ; a large triangular patch of burnished steel- 
green feathers on the lower throat; chest imiform deep velvety-black; remainder 
of the under-parts velvety-black, each feather widely margined with glossy 
* Also spelt Plilorhis. f Also spelt paradista. 
366 
