mark very old birds. The other- dimensions of the bird and the length of the ornamental plumes are in all
cases almost exactly equal.” • . , , , . . „ .
Bonaparte was undoubtedly mistaken in his description of the female of this species, and probably had a female
of P. mimr before bin, whiib poetesses such a plumage as he describes ; for the female of P. apoia «
brown all over, but smaller than the adult and young , males. H H H H H J !
In the splendid work upon the voyage of the ‘Coquille,’ Lesson gives the following account o f the Great Bird
of P a r a d i s e F r om the first day of our arrival in New Guinea, that ‘promised land’ of naturalists, we saw the
Emerald Birds o f Paradise flying about in these old forests, daughters of ages, whose sombre depths perhaps
afford the most striking and imposing spectacle which can be presented to the gaze of a European. The feathers
of the bird’s flanks formed a graceful and airy mass of plumes, which, without exaggeration, did not bear a
poor resemblance to a brilliant meteor shooting through the air like a star. One could hardly have a correct
idea of Birds of Paradise from the skins that the Papous sell to the Malays, and which are brought to us in
Europe. These natives hunt them, in order to decorate the turbans of their rajahs with their feathers. They
call them Mambéfore in their language, and kill them during thé night-time, climbing the trees where they sleep,
and shooting, them with arrows made expressly very short, and which they manufacture from the stems of the
leaves of the palm tree. The Camponys. or villages of Mappia and Emberbakfene are celebrated for the quantity of
birds which axe prepared there; and all the skill of the inhabitants is limited to tearing away then feet, skinning
them, thrusting a smaU stick through the body, and drying them in the smoke. Some, more skilful, patronized
by the Chinese merchants, dry them with .the feet. The price of a Bird of Paradise among the Papous on the
coast is at least a dollar,; and these people prefer silver to any other object, even to wrought iron. During our
sojourn in New Guinea they killed twenty o f these birds. The Emerald, in life, is of the - form of the French Jay.
Its beak and feet are bluish. The iris is a brilliant yellow. Its movements are quick and nimble ; it is only
accustomed to alight on the top of the tallest trees. When it descends it is either to eat certain small fruits,
or when the sun is so powerful as to force it to seek the shade. It is fond o f various vegetables, and makes
the neighbourhood resound with its loud voice. Its cry is fatal to it, because it serves to make known its hidingplace.
It was by perseverance in watching that we succeeded in killing it; for when a male Bird of Paradise is
on its perch, and hears a rustling in the forest, it becomes silent and motionless.
> 5 “ Its cry is voihe, voike, voike, voike, strongly uttered. The female has the same cry, but she utters it m a very
feeble manner. Destitute of the brilliant plumage of her mate, she has only sombre attire. We found them m
companies of twenty on a tree, whilst the males, always solitary, appeared only accidentally. The young bear the
closest resemblance to the females. It is only at the second moult that the plumes appear, and the green throat
betrays the true sex. The Bird of Paradise seeks its food only at sunrise and sunset. In the middle of the .day it
conceals itself under the spreading foliage of the teak tree, and does not leave it. It appears to dread the effect
of the burning rays o f the sun, and not to be willing to expose itself to their influence. In order to shoot the
Birds of Paradise, travellers to New Guinea should remember that it is necessary to leave the boat before morning,
and to reach about four o’clock the foot of the teak or fig-tree which it is known these birds frequent on account of
the fruit (our stay in this place was from 26th July to 9th August), and to remain motionless until the males,,
pressed by hunger, come to the branches that are thought to be at a proper distance. It is indispensable to have
a gim of very long rangé, and loaded with heavy shot; for it is very difficult to kill an Emerald Bird of
Paradise at once, and if it is only wounded, it is very likely to be lost in the dense thickets, where one cannot even
find the way without a guide.”
Male.-—Fore part of head, throat, and sides of neck brilliant grass-green, the chin so dark a green as to appear
black. Occiput and back of neck deep yellow. Back, wings, and tail chocolate-brown ; primaries same colour.
Upper part of breast very dark purple-brown; rest of underparts chocolate-brown like the back. From beneath
the wings on each side spring a mass of lengthened plumes extending beyond the tail ; and the bird is able to
erect these and display them over the back. For two thirds their length they are very rich golden-yellow,
graduating into purple. The webs of the terminal third part of the feathers are split and widely separated. The
webs graduate towards the tips, and terminate in long points ; in some instances the shafts extend for a considerable
way beyond the webs. Near the commencement of these side-plumes a few rigid feathers terminate in deep
red, forming a line of that colour, very conspicuous upon the golden-yellow. From the base of the tail spring two
webless shafts, which fall over the side-plumes, and attain lengths varying from eighteen to thirty-four inches.
The bill is lead-colour at base, greenish-white at tip. Feet and tarsi flesh-colour.
Female.—Rich coffee-brown colour over the entire body, being lightest upon the underparts, and darkest on the top
of head and throat,. Wings and tail the same as the body, but some shades lighter in colour.