The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

430 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.Moluccas I was never able to obtain a skin. We are thereforequite ignorant of the habits of this bird, and also of its female,though the latter is no doubt as plain and inconspicuous as inall the other species of this family.The Golden, or Six-shafted Paradise Bird, is another rarespecies, first figured by BufFon, and never yet obtained inperfect condition. It -was named by Boddaert, Paradisea sexpennis,and forms the genus Parotia of Viellot. This -wonderfulbird is about the size of the female Paradisea rubra. Theplumage appears at first sight black, but it glows in certainlights with bronze and deep purple. The throat and breast arescaled with broad flat feathers of an intense golden hue,:::^9THE SIX-SHAFTED BIRD OF PABADisE. (PaTotia eexpcnnis.)changing to green and blue tints in certain lights. On theback of the head is a broad recurved band of feathers, Avhosebrilliancy is indescribable, resembling the sheen of emerald andtopaz rather than any organic substance. Over the forehead isa large patch of pure white feathers, which shine like satin ;and from the sides of the head s^jring the six wonderful feathersfrom which the bird receives its name. These are slender wires,six inches long, with a small oval web at the exti'emity. Inaddition to these ornaments, there is also an immense tuft ofsoft feathers on each side of the breast, which when elevatedmust entirely hide the wings, and give the bird an appearance ofbeing double its real bulk. The bill is black, short, and rather