The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online
The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online
432 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.with green. This is the only Paradise Bird yet found in theMoluccan district, all the others being confined to the PapuanIslands and North Australia.We now come to the Epimachidfe, or Long-billed Birds ofParadise, which, as befoi"e stated, ought not to be separated fromthe Paradiseidse by the intervention of any other birds. One ofthe most remarkable of these is the Twelve-wired Paradise Bird,Paradisea alba of Blumenbach, but now placed in the genusSeleucides of Lesson.This bird is about twelve inches long, of which the compressedand curved beak occupies two inches. The colour of the breastand upper surface appears at first sight nearly black, but a closeexamination shows that no part of it is devoid of colour ; andby holding it in various lights, the most rich and glowing tintsbecome visible. The head, covered with short velvety feathers,which advance on the chin much further than on the upper partof the beak, is of a purplisli bronze colour ;the whole of theback and shoulders is rich bronzy green, while the closed wingsand tail are of the most brilliant violet pui^ple, all the plumageha^dng a delicate silky gloss. The mass of feathers which coverthe breast is really almost black, vnth faint glosses of green andpurple, but their outer edges are margined with glittering bandsof emerald green. The whole lower part of the body is richbuffy 3"el]ow, including the tuft of plumes which spring fromthe sides, and extend an inch and a half beyond the tail. Whenskins are exposed to the light tlie yellow fades into dull w^hite,from which circumstance it derived its specific name. Aboutsix of the innermost of these plumes on each side have themidrib elongated into slender black wires, which bend at rightangles, and curve somewhat backwards to a length of about teninches, forming one of those extraordinary and fantastic oi'namentswith which this group of birds abounds. The bill is jetblack, and the feet bright yellow. (See lower figure on the plateat tlie beginning of this chapter.)The female, although not quite so plain a bird as in some otherspecies, presents none of the gay colours or ornamental plumageof the male. The top of the head and back of the neck are black,the rest of the upper parts rich reddish brown ; while the undersurface is entirely yellowish ashy, somewhat blackish on thebreast, and crossed throughout with narrow blackish wavybands.Tlie Seleucides alba is found in the island of Salwatty, and intlie north-western parts of New Guinea, where it frequentsllowering ti-ees, especially sago-palms and pandani, sucking theflowers, round and beneath which its unusually large andpowerful feet enable it to cling. Its motions ai-e very rapid.It seldom rests more than a few moments on one tree, afterwhich it flies sti'aight ofi", and with great swiftness, to anotlier.It has a loud slirill cry, to be heard a long way, consisting of" Cah, cah," repeated five or six times in a descending scale, and
XXXVIII.] THE BIRDS OF PARADISE. 433at the last note it generally flies away. The males are quitesolitary in their habits, although, perhaps, they assemble atcertain times like the true Paradise Birds. All the specimensshot and opened by my assistant Mr. Allen, who obtained thisfine bird during his last voyage to New Guinea, had nothing intheir stomachs but a brown sweet liquid, probably the nectarof the flowers on whicli they had been feeding. They certainly,however, eat both fruit and insects, for a specimen which I sawalive on board a Dutch steamer ate cockroaches and papayafruit voraciously. This bird had the curious habit of resting atnoon with the bill pointing vertically upwards. It died on'thepassage to Batavia, and I secured the body and formed askeleton, which shows indisputably that it is really a Bird ofParadise. The tongue is very long and extensible, but flat anda little fibrous at the end, exactly like the true Paradiseas.In the island of Salwatty, the natives_search in tlie foreststill they find tlie sleeping place of this bird, which they knowby seeing its dung upon the ground. It is generally in a lowbushy tree._At night they climb up the ti-ee, and either shootthe birds with blunt arrows, or even catch them alive with acloth. In New Guinea they are caught by placing snares on thetrees frequented by them, in the same way as the Pted ParadiseBirds are caught inWaigiou, and whichhas already been describedat page 408.The great Epimaque,or Long-tailedParadise Bird (Epimachusniagnus) isanother of these wonderfulcreatures, onlyknown by the imperfectskins prepared bythe natives. In itsdark velvety j^lumage,glossed withbronze and purple, itresembles the Seleucidesalba, but itbears a magnificenttail more than twofeet long, glossed onthe upper surfacewith the most intenseopalescent blue. ItsTHE LONG-TAILED BIRD OP PAR(Epimaehus magnus.]chief ornament, however,consists in the grouj;) of broad plumes which spring fromthe sides of the breast, and which are dilated at the extremity,V F
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XXXVIII.] THE BIRDS OF PARADISE. 433at <strong>the</strong> last note it generally flies away. <strong>The</strong> males are quitesolitary in <strong>the</strong>ir habits, although, perhaps, <strong>the</strong>y assemble atcertain times like <strong>the</strong> true Paradise Birds. All <strong>the</strong> specimensshot and opened by my assistant Mr. Allen, who obtained thisfine bird during his last voyage to New Guinea, had nothing in<strong>the</strong>ir stomachs but a brown sweet liquid, probably <strong>the</strong> nectar<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> flowers on whicli <strong>the</strong>y had been feeding. <strong>The</strong>y certainly,however, eat both fruit and insects, for a specimen which I sawalive on board a Dutch steamer ate cockroaches and papayafruit voraciously. This bird had <strong>the</strong> curious habit <strong>of</strong> resting atnoon with <strong>the</strong> bill pointing vertically upwards. It died on'<strong>the</strong>passage to Batavia, and I secured <strong>the</strong> body and formed askeleton, which shows indisputably that it is really a Bird <strong>of</strong>Paradise. <strong>The</strong> tongue is very long and extensible, but flat anda little fibrous at <strong>the</strong> end, exactly like <strong>the</strong> true Paradiseas.In <strong>the</strong> is<strong>land</strong> <strong>of</strong> Salwatty, <strong>the</strong> natives_search in tlie foreststill <strong>the</strong>y find tlie sleeping place <strong>of</strong> this bird, which <strong>the</strong>y knowby seeing its dung upon <strong>the</strong> ground. It is generally in a lowbushy tree._At night <strong>the</strong>y climb up <strong>the</strong> ti-ee, and ei<strong>the</strong>r shoot<strong>the</strong> birds with blunt arrows, or even catch <strong>the</strong>m alive with acloth. In New Guinea <strong>the</strong>y are caught by placing snares on <strong>the</strong>trees frequented by <strong>the</strong>m, in <strong>the</strong> same way as <strong>the</strong> Pted ParadiseBirds are caught inWaigiou, and whichhas already been describedat page 408.<strong>The</strong> great Epimaque,or Long-tailedParadise Bird (Epimachusniagnus) isano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se wonderfulcreatures, onlyknown by <strong>the</strong> imperfectskins prepared by<strong>the</strong> natives. In itsdark velvety j^lumage,glossed withbronze and purple, itresembles <strong>the</strong> Seleucidesalba, but itbears a magnificenttail more than tw<strong>of</strong>eet long, glossed on<strong>the</strong> upper surfacewith <strong>the</strong> most intenseopalescent blue. ItsTHE LONG-TAILED BIRD OP PAR(Epimaehus magnus.]chief ornament, however,consists in <strong>the</strong> grouj;) <strong>of</strong> broad plumes which spring from<strong>the</strong> sides <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> breast, and which are dilated at <strong>the</strong> extremity,V F
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