f l C I N N i m U S MJEGIFS,
J. GvuU i irjajt M ,I M .Vrii/i^rri lirvs.jnifi.
CICINNURUS REGIUS.
K i n s ' B i r d of Paradise.
77w supposed King of tli^ Greater Birds of Paradise, Edwards, Birds, iii. p. I l l , pi. I l l (1750).
Le Petit Oiseau de Paradis, Briss. Orn. ii. p. 136, pi. 13 (1760).
Paradisea regia, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 106 (1760).—Forst. Ind. Zool. p. 36 (1781).—Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 400
(1788).—Daud. Orn. ii. p. 372, pl. 19 (1800).—Shaw, Gen. Zool. vii. p. 4i)7, pl. 07 (1809).—Less.
Voy. Coquille, i. p, 658, pl. 20 (1826).—Wagler, Syst. Av., Paradisea, sp. 7 (1807).—Gray, Gen. B. ii.
p. 323 (1847).—Sehl. HandL Dierk. i. p. 332, pl. iv. % 46 (1857).—Id. Jouni. für Orn. 1801, p. 385.
—Id. Mus. Pays-Bas, Coraces, p. 88 (1867).—Id. Nederl. Tijdsehr. Dierk. Amsterdam, iv. pp. 17, 4!)
(1871).—Gray, Proe. Zool. Soc. 1858, p. 181, 1861, p. 430.—Id. IIand-1. B. il. p. 10, no. 0252 (1870).—
Wallace, Ibis, 1859, p. 111.—Id. Proc. Zool. Soe. 1802, p. 100.—Id. Malay Arch. ii. p. 132 (1809).—
Wagler, Zool. Gart. 1873, p. 10.—Rosenb. Reist, naar Geelvinkb. p. 17 (1875).—Id. Malay. Archip.
pp. 369, 395, 657 (1879).—Musschenbr. Dagboek, pp. 192, 224 (1883).—Rosenb. Mitth. orn. Ver.
Wien, 1885, p. 39.
King Paradise-bird, Lath. Gen. Syn. i. pt. 2, p. 475 (1772).
Le Manueode, Daubent. Pl. Eni. iii. pl. 490.-Month. Hist. Nat. Ois. iii. p. 103, pl. 13 (1775).—Audeb. & Vieill.
Ois. Dor. ii. p. 16, pl. 5 (1802).—Levain. Hist. Nat. Ois. de Paradis, i. pis. 7, 8 (1806).
Le Roi des Oiseaux de Paradis, Sonn. Voy. Nouv. Guin. i. p. 150, pl. 95 (1770).
Paradisea rex. Scop. Del. Flor, et Faun. Insubr. ii. p. 88 (1786, ex Sonn,).
Cieinnurtis sphiiturnix. Less. Ois. de Parad. Syn. p. 14 (1835).—Id. Hist. Nat. Ois. de Paradis, p. 182, pis. 16-18
(1835).
Cicinmirus regius, Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xix. p. 247 (1818).—Id. Gal. Ois. i. p. 146, pl. xevi. (1825).—
Lesson, Traité d'Orn. p. 338 (1831).—Bp. Consp. i. p. 413 (1850).—Wall. Ibis, 1861, p. 287.—Rosenb.
Journ. fiir Orn. 1804, p. 130.—Elliot, Monogr. Parad. pl. xvi. (1873).—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Gcnov.
vii. p. 783 (1875).—Id. & D'Alber t , t. c. p. 832 (1875).—Salvad. op. cit. viii. p. 402 (1870), ix. p. 192
(1876).—Gould, Birds of New Guinea, i. pl. 24 (1870).—Sharpc, Cat. Birds in Brit. Mus. iii. p. 171
(1877).—ialvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. x. p. 152 (1877).—Id. P. Z.S. 1378, p. 98.—Ramsay, Pr. Linn.
Soc. N. S.W. iii. p. 207 (1878), iv. p. 97 (1879).—Salvad. & D'Alb. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. xiv. p. 112
(1879).—Eudes-Deslongehamps, Ann. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. Caen, i. p. 28 (1888).—Salvad. Orn. della
Papuasia e delle Molucciie, ii. p. 040 (1881).—Id. Voy. ' Chal lenger , 'Bi rds , p. 81 (1881).—Cory,
Beautiful and Curious Birds, pt. ii. (1881).—Salvad. Orn. della Papuasia e delle Molucche, iii., Addenda,
p. 554 (1882).—Sharpe, Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xvi. p. 444 (1882).—Meyer, Zcitsehr. ges. Orn. i.
p. 293 (1884).—Gui l lem. P. Z. S. 1885, p. 655.—Meyer, Zeitsehr. ges. Orn. iii. p. 34 (1880).—d'Hamonv.
Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1880, p. 509.—Tristr. Ibis, 1889, p. 554.—Salvad. Aggiunte Orn. della Papuasia
e delle Molucche, ii. p. 163 (1890).—Goodwin, Ibis, 1890, p. 150.
CONSIDERING that the present beautiful species is one of the earliest known to European travellers, and
t h a t it was described in the vei-y first published records of the Birds of Paradise, it is somewliat remarkable
t h a t we know so little of its habits.
I t is apparently not a rare bird in the countries which it inhabits, and it has, moreover, the largest
distribution of any species of the family, being found all over New Guinea, and inhabiting also the islands
of Salawati, Mysol, Jobi, as well as the Am grou|). It has even been said to occur in Batiinta, but
Count Salvadori thinks that there may have been some mistake as to this locality. There is a certain
amount of variation in size between specimens from different localities, and the late Mr. Gould considered
t h a t there were at least two forms of King Bird of Paradise, recognizable not oidy by their different
dimensions, but more csiiecially by the size of the spiral racket at the end of the centre tail-feathers.
Although some individuals are larger than others, I have not been able to assure myself that these
variatio^ns are accompanied by any difference of habitat, nor has Count Salvadori recognized more tl.an
one species of Cidmuriis, though he duly draws attention to the differences to be seen in specimens from
t h e island of Jobi , where both sexes vary somewhat from the ordinary type.
T h e best account of the finding of the present sjiecies in its native haunts is that given by Dr. A. II.
Wallace in his ' Malay Archipelago,' from which book I make the following extract
" The first two or three days of our stay here were very wet. and I obtained but few insects or birds ;
but at leiK^th, when I was begiuuing to despair, my boy Baderoon retur.ied one day with a specimen which
r e p a i d me" for months of delay and expectation. It was a small bird, a little less than the Thrush.
Merely ill arrangement of colours and texture of plumage, this little bird was a gem of the first water;
yet these comprised only half of its strange beauty. Springing from each side of the breast, and ordinarily
lyino-concealed uiider the wings, were httle tufts of greyish feathers about two inches long and each
t e r m i n a t e d by a broad band of intense emerald-grccn. These plumes can be raised at tlie will of the bird,
and spread out into a pair of elegant faus when the wings are elevated. But this is not the only ornament.