Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/671

 BIRD OF PARADISE 651 (Vieill.) is about 9 inches long, and principally characterized by the fine red color of the sub- axillary feathers, and the two long, slender, rib- Gold-breasted Bird of Paradise (Parotia scrpennis). bon-like shafts. Since the time of Linnaeus the genus paradisea has been subdivided into several others. To the genus cicinnurus be- longs the king paradise bird (0. regius), about 7 inches long ; it has the head, neck, back, tail, and wings purplish chestnut, with the crown approaching to yellow and the breast to blood- red, all with a satiny gloss ; on the breast is a broad bar of brilliant green, below which the belly is white; the subaxillary feathers are grayish white, tipped with shining green ; the middle tail feathers are spirally coiled, with the webs of a glossy green color. The superb paradise bird (lophorina atra, Vieill.) has a black crest, with the head, hind neck, and back of a greenish gold color, of a velvety appearance, and overlying each other like the scales of a fish ; the wings a dull deep black ; tail-black, with a blue gloss, and even at the Twelve-wired Paradise Bird (Seleucides alba). end ; throat changeable violet ; belly bright golden green ; subaxillary plumes black and velvety, rising upon the back and resembling a second pair of wings. The gold-breasted para- dise bird (Parotia sexpennis, Vieill.) is also crested; the top of the head, cheeks, and throat changeable violet black ; fore neck and breast brilliant changeable green ; back deep black, with a violet gloss ; wings and tail black ; the subaxillary feathers are long and black, with loose webs like those of an ostrich; on each side of the head are three long feathers, webless except at the end, where they are spread into an oval form. Mr. A. R. Wallace, in his "Malay Archipelago," describes and figures 18 species which are called paradise birds. Of these one of the most remarkable is the magnificent bird of paradise (diphyllodes speciosa), the generic name being derived from the double mantle which covers the back. It is of a general rufous color above, and of bril- liant green below, with a tuft of beautiful yel- low feathers on the hind neck, marked at the end by a black spot. A more rare and beauti- i Long-tailed Paradise Bird (Epima- cbus magnus). ful species (D. Wihonii) has been described by Mr. Cassin from the Philadelphia acad- emy museum. The standard- wing (semioptera Wallacei, Gray), discovered by Mr. Wal- lace, is characterized by a pair of long white feathers, arising from the short ones at the bend of the wings. These feathers, like all the others in this remarkable family, are erectile. The long -billed birds of paradise, more near- ly allied to the hoopoes, con- stitute the family of epima- chidce. The most beautiful is the 12-wired paradise bird (seleucides alba, Less.) ; it is a native of Papua, and is dis- tinguished by a splendid green band across the breast, by the silky softness of the white feathers, and by 12 wiry ap- pendages prolonged from the plumes on the sides. The long-tailed paradise bird (epimachui magnus) has the tail more than 2 feet long, glossed with most beautiful colors, 1