'.Gould tWJhui ildalith
CHASKM® SW A TA F ljlS S IS ,
Walter imp.
CHARMOSYNA PAPUENSIS.
Papuan Lorikeet.
Papuan Lory, Lath. Gen. Syn. i. p. 215 (1781).
Psittacus papuensis, Gmel. S. N. i. p. 327 (1788)._Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 88 (1790).-Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 33
Psittacus papou, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insubr. ii. p. 86 (1786).
La Perruche Lori papou, Levaill. Perroq. ii. p. 9, pi. 77 (1805).
Psittacus lichtensteini, Bechst. Kurze Uebers. p. 82 (1811),
Paloeamis papuensis, Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxv. p. 336 (1819).-Vigors, Zool. Journ. ii. p 56 <T 8261
Lonus papuensis. Less. Tr. d’Om. p. 196 (1 8 3 1 )-S cM . Mus. P.-B., Psitlad, p. 130 (18641
Oia nnosym„uensis, Less., Sclater, Proe. Zool. Soe. Nov. 187S.-Bp. Rev. et Mag. Z. 1 8 6 4 -G ray , List Psitt.
Trichoglossus papuensis, Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 878 (1868).
W h e n the collection o f birds formed by Signor d’Albertis was submitted to me, I was highly pleased to find
an exquisite specimen o f the present bird from Atam. Skins denuded o f the head, legs and wings as skins
o f the Birds o f Paradise formerly were, h a d .g i s true, been before my eyes for the last forty years • but
until now I had not seen ,t in a perfect state, f t is, however, if we may depend upon the older authors
one hundred years since a knowledge o f its existence was acquired by ornithologists. As a matter of
course its synonymy is not only extensive, but in such a state o f confusion th at it would be out o f place in
a folio work such as I am now penning the letterpress for, to attempt to unravel it. Those who delire
further information on the .subject would do well to consult the very excellent and learned work on
the Parrots -D ie Papageien,’ by Dr. Otto Finsch, who s a y s : - “ This extraordinarily rare Parrot
distinguished for its splend.d colours, was well known to the old author Seba, and was first figured by him’
His single figure represents the bird as a skin in the way in which they a re prepared by the Papuan natives’
Seba, who calls every bird with decorative plumage a Bird of Paradise, takes this bird also for one and
gives its habitat quite correctly as New Guinea. This species is very perplexing as regards its synonymy •
but it is in any case erroneous for Wagler and Gray to place as synonyms o f Trichoglossus papuensis the’
very doubtful species Psittacus japonicus o f Linnmus, and parms o f Bontius, o f my Appendix of doubtful
species.
“ Concerning the native country o f this bird there has been hitherto some indecision • but we learn
through Wallace and Von Rosenberg that the species really exists in the northerly and north-westerly
parts o f New Guinea. Near Doreh it is very r a r e ; the long tail-feathers, however, are seen in the
feather ornaments o f the natives o f this place. Schlegel gives the eastern p a rt o f New Guinea as its
habitat.’*
T h a t Charmosyna papuensis will be regarded as one o f the finest o f the New-Guinea birds is certain • the
researches o f D r. Meyer, however, have brought under my notice two or three other exquisitely coloured
species, which will hereafter be figured in sequence to this, the head o f the genus.
The figure in the accompanying Plate is o f the size o f life.