Chla.mydodera cerviniventris, maculata, muchalis, xanthogastra.
Diphyllodcs respublica, speciosa.
Drepanornis Albertisi.
Epimachus Ellioti, speciosus.
Mamicodia atra, chalybea, kermndreni.
Paradigalla carunculata.
Paradisea raggiana, sanguinea.
Ptilonorhynchus Rawnsleyi, violaceus.
Sericulus melinus.
Xanthomelus aureus.
Paradisea apoda is perhaps the most elegant of all these birds. It is le grand emeraude of the French. The birds of paradise, says M. Lesson, or at least the emerald, live in troops in the vast forests of the country of the Papuans, a group of islands situated under the equator, and which is composed of the islands of Aru, Wagiou, and the great island called New Guinea. They are birds of passage, changing their quarters according to the monsoons. The females congregate in troops, assemble upon the tops of the highest trees in the forests, and all cry together to call the males. These last are always alone in the Midst of some fifteen females, which compose their seraglio, after the manner of the gallinaceous birds. They are as omnivorous as the crow, and, like the turkeys, Argus pheasants, the dancing bird of America, Rupicola coyana, and Sat-bhai or seven brothers of India, are fond of displaying their plumage.
Paradisea regia, called the Burong raja, also Goby-goby, is a very beautiful bird, first described by Linnmus as the great paradise bird, whose call is wawk, wawk, wawk, wok, wok, wok.
In the genus Paradisea of Linnmus, Many birds were included since transferred to other genera ; but three species are still retained in it, viz. P. apoda, L. (P. major, Shaw), back of a deep maroon - brown, contrasting with the golden fulvous neck ; P. Papuana, Bechstein (P. minor, Forster), back of a pale golden - brown, shading into the golden-fnlvous of the neck ; P. rubra, Cuvier (P. sanguinea, Shaw), back of the same bright golden-fulvous as the crown and neck, the long axillary plumes gorgeous red, and broad flattened middle tail-feathers, like long shreds of whalebone. In other respects the general characters are the same. All have short velvety feathers of a golden-fulvous hue on the crown and nape, with the throat and forehead deep, dark, satiny green, most developed in P. rubra, least so in P. Papuans. P. apoda and P. rubra have a black chin, and P. apoda has a broader green frontal mark than P. Papuana ; while P. rubra has the fore part of the head green to beyond the eyes, the feathers being developed to form two hillock-like tufts on the head, and lengthened also on the sides of the throat, where disposed in concentric series, instead of uniformly as in the others. Moreover, the golden-fulvous
of the nape is continued round the front of the neck in P. rubra only ; and P. apoda alone has a peculiar extraordinary denseness of feathering ou the breast.
In the beautiful little king-bird of paradise (Cincinnurus regius), the stem-like middle tail feathers are broadly barbed at the extremity, where they curl round in a singular manner to form a flat disc, of a deep emerald-green hue ; and the axillary tufts .are comparatively short, and consist of ordinarily-shaped feathers, which are brown with broad emerald-green tips.
In the Samalia magnifica there are huge neck tufts, in addition to small axillary tufts, and the middle pair of tail-feathers again assume the form of lengthened stems.
In the Parotia sex-setacea, the feathers of the flanks are extraordinarily developed, composing a huge floccose mass ; and each side of the head is ornamented with three long stems terminated by a black oval.
In the Lophorina superba, the scapulary feathers are enormously developed, and form a sort of erectile mantle ; this splendid creature being also peculiarly adorned upon the breasit.
The paradise birds of Aru at their pairing season have sacaleli or dancing parties, in cer tain trees of the forest, with imMense heads, spreading branches, and large but scattered leaves, giving a clear space for the birds to play and exhibit their plumes. The bird is nearly as large as a crow, and is of it rich brown coffee colour. The head and neck is of a pure straw yellow above and rich metallic green beneath, and long plumy tufts of golden-orange feathers spring from the sides beneath each wing, and when the bird is in repose are partly concealed by them. At the time of its excitement, how ever, the wings are bent over its back, the head is bent down and stretched out, and the long plumbs are raised up and expanded till they form two magnificent gold fans, striped with deep red at the base. When seen in this attitude it really deserves its name ; a dozen or twenty full-plum aged male birds assemble together, raise up their wings, stretch up their necks, and elevate their exquisite plumes, keeping then in a continual vibration. Between whiles, they fly across from branch to branch in great excitement, so that the whole tree is filled with waving plumes in every variety of attitude and motion.—Harthricke and Gray, Ill. Ind. Zoology ; F. D. Bennett, Wander ings; 1Vallace, Malay Arehifi. ii. 141-220 • Lesson.