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LAMPROTHORAX WILHELMINiE, Meyer.
Green-trained Bird of Paradise.
Lamprothorax tvinehimrv, Meyer, Abliaiidl. k. zool. Mus. Dresd. 1894-95, No. 2, p. 3, Taf. i.—Biittik, Notc.s
Level. Mus. xvi. p. 164 (1894).—Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orii. Club, iv. p. xiii (1894).
AT the lime of writing, only two specimens of tins wonderful bird are known to rae. One is the typical
specimen in the Dresden Museum, and tlie other is in the Leiden Museum. The genus Lamprolhorax
occupies a well-niarkcd position among the Birds of I'aradise, and is distingnislied from Lophorlilna and the
other allii'd genera by its sqiuire tail, with two elongated metallic green centre feathers. There is also
a vei'y distinct frill round the hind-neck.
The habitat of the specics is the Arfak Mountains, in North-western New Guinea. Nothing is
known of its hahits or changes of plumage.
The followiiig description is taken from the specimen in the Leiden Museum :—
3Iale (not quite fnll-])lumaged). Velvety brown, blacker on the runij) and ui)per tail-coverts; the
back much mixed with reddish-brown feathers, and c5])ecially on the wing-coverts ; the outer wing-coverts
pnr])lish violet, the quills blackisli, glossed with purplish violet; the inner secondaries more or less reddish
brown. The plumage of these parts is, I think, imperfect, and I expect that the wing will be velvety black ;
tail black with a pnrplish-violct gloss, the two centre feathers metallic steel-green ; head and neck pur]ilish
violet, with a tinge of leaden grey, the lores aiul fore part of I lie cheeks having a velvety-black ajipearance ;
the feathers of the liind-neck elongated and forming a frill; throat, sides of face, and sides of neck purplish
bronze, with a bronzy shade on the sides of the face; chin and niqier throat bronzy; lower throat, fore-neck,
and chest metallic green, forming a shield, »itli some beautiful reflections of purple and green, especially on
the lengthened feathers on the sides of the .shield : breast, abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts velvety
black ; under wing-coverls with a violet shade.
Total length 12-4 inches, culmen M , wing 5, tail S'O, centre tail-feathers 5-85, tarsus 1-4.
The figui-e in the Plate represents a life-sized illustration of the specimen above described. It is drawn
from a sketch made by Mr. Keulemans.
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