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P A R A D I S E A M A R I D E , lleMenow.
M r s . Reiclieiiow's Bird of l'iiradisc,
Paradisea marine, Reichenow, Orn. Monatsb. ii. p. 22 (1894).—Sharpc, Bull lìrit. Oi'n. Club, iv. p. xiii
( 1 8 9 4 ) . — R c i c h e n . J. f. O. 1897, p. 222, Taf. v.
THIS spceles wiis dlscoverecl in the Finistcrre Mountains, in German New Guinea, at a iieiglit of l.iOO feet,
a n d was lit'scrilied l)y Dr. IJeielienow, the tvpe «¡¡eciinen lieinij in tlie lierlin Museum and, up to the
l i m e of writing-, nniqnc. Dr. Heicliouow, however, has giveu a figure of the species iu tlie ' . l i iurual fiir
O r n i t h o l o " i e , ' from wliicii one is able to gatlier tiuit Pwadhea mañee partaiíes of the eharactcrs of
P. augiMíE-mioñiB and TrkhoparaiUsea gulidmi. This opinion has been suggested to me liy the notes
g i v e u to me by Mr . Ernst Hartert, who recently cxaniiued tlie type specimen at tlie meeting of the Gerniaii
O r n i t h o l o g i c a l Society in Dresden. The extent of the metallic-green colour on the forehead and throat is
a p p a r e n t l y the same as in Trkhopamdisea, and the dissociated webbing of the tips of the long 11 i r d < - f e a t h e r j
is another character in common with the last-named genus. The colour of the under surface recalls that
u( P. minor, but is not unlike that of 7'. giilielmi also. The colour of the long llank-feathers is diUVreiit
f r o m that of both T. guUelmi and P. augustie-mctoria!, but the dark stri[)es are like those of tlie latter bird ;
s o that, on the whole, it seems to me more correct to compar e P. mnrice with the last-named s|iccies rather
t h a n witli P. minor.
D r . Reichenow' s description of the specie.s is as follows :—"Di s t i n g u i s h e d from P. minor by the inetallicg
r e e n forehead and vertex, by the paler yellow on the occiput, mantle, back, and wing-coverts, and by the
r e d d i s h plumes of the train. Forehead and fore part of crown, as vvcll as the lores and fore-|iart of checks
a n d throat, metallic green ; hind part of the bead, nape, back, and lesser wing-coverts pale straw-yellow,
l i g h t e r than in P. minor-, greater wing-coverts only narrowly washed with straw-yellow on their edges, not
y e l l ow on the entire outer web or for the greater part of the feather, as in P. minor-, rump slightly washed
w i t h straw-yellow. The brown colour on the wings, tail, and under surface of body resembles that of
P. minor. The ornamental feathers on the Hanks have a yellow ground-colour, washed with brownish red
o n the outer web, and espeeially on the inner one, afterwards becoming white with a brownish-red tint and
t h e n pure white at the t ips; the shafts are partly yellow, partly reddish brown and white at their cuds.
S o m e of the outer llank-plumes have a brownish-red outer edge near the base, and this forms on the outs
p r e a d feathers a continual red longitudinal stripe, whereas in P. minor it is formed of shorter and separate
s t r i p e s of dark chestnut-brown. Owing to the mixture of white and brownish red the mass of the
o r n a m e n t a l plumes has a kind of greyish-violet appearance. It is worthy of remark that the ornamental
p l u m e s are more close-set, as in P. minor-, the single harbs show broad intervals, and those at the end of the
f e a t h e r s are without any trace of barbs. Total length 14 inches, wing 7-2.5, tail fi'5, bill 1-3, tarsus 1'8."
A s there is no specimen of this Bird of I'aradise in England, I have been unable to give a figure of it.