root and at the junction with the prefrontals; yet there are too many radical and important dissimilarities
for them ever to be classed in the same family. With regard to Upupidse, in which some authors have
placed certain Birds of Paradise *, Dr. Murie has shown that the members of the two families are not nearly
related.
GENERA.
To the yarious members o f this family many genera have at times been assigned; and in a great number of
instances more cogent reasons can be given for such a procedure than is generally the case when these divisions
have been instituted in some other branches of ornithology.
The wide divergence in form and structure o f the plumes o f the species of Paradiseidse seems to call for a rather
larger number of generic distinctions than is usual when comparatively such a few number o f species are considered;
but I believe that sufficient grounds, exist for us to recognize those that have been adopted in this work. Of course
many proposed genera have been instituted upon insufficient grounds, and others would not answer for even
subgeneric divisions. The following are all the genera that have beer proposed since the time of Linnæus:—
1 7 6 0 .—Paradisea, Linnæus, Systema Naturæ . . . . . Type Paradisea apoda.
1 7 8 3 .—Manucodia, Boddaert, Tableau des Planches Enluminées de Buffon Type Manucodia chalybea.
1 8 1 6 .—Astrapia, Vieillot, Analyse . . . . . . .
Parotia, ,,r •,
Lophorina, „ . . . . .. .
Faldnellus, „ ,, (Preoccupied) . . . . .
Type Astrapia nigra.
Type Parotia sexpennis.
Type Lophorina atra.
Type jEpimachus speciosus.
1817.— Epimachus, Cuvier, Régne Animal . . . . . . „
1 8 2 0 .— Ptilonor/ynchus, Kuhl, Beiträge zur Zoologie . . . . Type Ptilonorhynchus violacene.
1 8 2 3 .— Cidnnurus, Vieillot, Tableau Encyclopédique et Méthodique . Type Cidnnurus regius.
1 8 2 5 .— Ptiloris, Swainson, Zoological Journal . . . . .
Sericulus, „ . V-y_ 1 •• • *-v
Type Ptiloris paradiseus.
Type Sericulus melinus.
1828.—Phonygama, Lesson, Manuel d’Omithologie . . . . Type Manucodia Keraudreni.
1835.—-Seleucides, Lesson, Oiseaux de Paradis . . . . .
Diphyllodes, „ ,, , , . . . . .
Cinnamolegus, ,, „ ,,
Paradigalla, , , , , ,,
Type Seleucides alba.
Type Diphyllodes speciosa.
Type Epimachus speciosus.
Type Paradigalla carunculata.
1836.—Calodera, Gould, Proceedings o f the Zoological Society . Type Chlamydodera maculata.
1 8 3 7 .—Chlamydera, Gould, Birds of Australia . Tfpe
1840.—Nematophora, G. R. Gray, List of the Genera of Birds Type Seleucides alba.
1848.—Craspedophora, G. R. Gray, Gen. of Birds . . . . Type Ptiloris magnificus.
1850.—Chlamydodera, Cabanis, Museum Heineanum . . . .
Æluroedus, „ —sif"'"
Type Chlamydodera nuchalis.
Type Æluroedus crassirostris.
1854.—Xanthomelvs, Bonaparte, Ann. d. Sc. Nat., Ser. iv. Zool. (1854) desc. null.. Type Xanthomehis aureus.
* Ibis, April 1873.
I860.—Semioptera, G. R. Gray, Proceedings of the Zoological Society .
1866.— Schlegelia, Bernstein, Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde
1872.—Amblyornis, Elliot, Ibis . . . • •
1873.—Drepanomis, Sclater, Proceedings of the Zoological Society
Type Semioptera Walladi.
Type Diphyllodes respublica.
Type Amblyomis ¡nomata.
Type Drepanomis Albertisi.
I here review the species of the family, adding whatever information may have been received of any of them
since the articles accompanying the plates of the birds were published.
REVIEW OF THE FAMILY.
F a m il y PARADÏSEIDÆ.
Su b f a m il y PARADISEINÆ.
Ge n u s PARADISEA.
Paradisea, Linn. Syst. Nat. (1760) vol. i. p. 166. Type P . apoda.
1. Paradisea a p o d a ........................................................................ Plate II.
2. Paradisea Baggiana ......................................................................................... P^te III.
3. Paradisea m in o r ............................................................................................................................................Plate IV.
4. Paradisea s a n g u in e a ...................................................................... Plate V.
Ge n u s MANUCODIA.
Manucodìa, Bodd. Tab. Pian. Eni. de Buffon (1783). Type M. chalybea.
5. Manucodìa chalybea . . . . . • ■ .............................................................Plate VI.
6. Manucodìa a t r a ............................................................................................................................................Piate
7. Manucodìa Keraudreni................................................................................................................................. ^ t e V ili.
G e n u s ASTRAPIA.
Astrapia, Vieill. Analyse (1816), p. 36. Type A. nigra.
0 . 8. Astr.ap.ia .n i g r a ....................................................................... . . . . . . Plate IX.
G e n u s PAROTI A.
Parotia, Vieill. Analyse (1816), p. 35. Type P. sexpennis.
9_ . Paroma sexpennis . . . . • • • • • . . . . Plate X.
M. d’Alberù, the latest traveller in New Guinea, writes as follows regarding this bird ¡—“ Although this species
has been inown many years, it is not yet accurately understood, having only been described from birds m a
mutilated condition. My observations have been made in the natural haunts of these elegant birds, from numerous
specimens both living and dead. These birds are found in the north of New Guinea. I met with them about
thirty miles from the coast, at an elevation of 3600 feet above the level of the sea, near Mount Arfilr. I have