Fig. 213.—King Bird of Paradise (Cincinnurus regius, Vieillot).
The Birds of Paradise are divided by Vieillot into Parotia, Lophorina, Cincinnurus, and Samalia. The most remarkable among these is Paradisea apoda, the Great Emerald, as it is sometimes called ([Fig. 212]), the throat and neck of which are of a bright emerald green, from which circumstance it has received one of its popular names, while on its sides are shaded tufts of yellow feathers which float on the breeze, forming an elegant aërial plume, and giving the bird a meteor look as it shoots through the air. They live in flocks in the vast Papuan forests. When prepared for migration—for they change their quarters with the monsoons—the females assemble in small flocks on the tops of the loftiest trees, and utter their call to the males, each flock of fourteen or fifteen being attended by one male.
The King Bird of Paradise (Paradisea regia, Linn.), [Fig. 213], is an inhabitant of the Molucca Islands, where it is scarce. Little is known of its habits. The beak, which is furnished at the base with small feathers pointing forward, is slender, convex, and slightly compressed at the sides. The hypochondrial feathers are broad, elongated, and truncated.
In the Superb (Lophorina superba), [Fig. 214], the beak is furnished with elongated feathers, extending half its length; the feathers of the neck, rising just behind the head, expand into a wing-like form.
Fig. 214.—The Superb (Paradisea superba, Latham).
Fig. 215.—Golden-throated Sifilet (Paradisea aurea, Gmelin).
In the Sifilets (Parotia) the beak is furnished with short feathers for half its length, and is slender, compressed laterally, notched and curved at the tip; they have long, broad, and loose plumes covering the sides and abdominal part. Of this group the Gold-throated Sifilet of Buffon (Parotia sexsetacea, Latham), [Fig. 215], is a fine example. It obtains its name from the three thread-like feathers on each side of the head expanding into a lancet shape at the extremity, and which form a very striking ornament.
The birds which constitute the Crows (Corvidæ) are characterised by a very strong beak with cutting edges, broad at the base, flattened laterally, and hooked towards the point; the nostrils covered with stiff feathers directed forward; also by strong claws and long pointed wings. They are divided into four groups or sub-genera—namely, Corvus, the Crows properly so called; the Magpies (Pica); the Jays (Garrulus); and the Nut-cracker (Nucifraga).