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Solomon Miller obtained the present species at Lobo, and D’Albertis met with it on the Fly River, which
supposed to be its most easterly range. I find, however, that since the
Birds’ the British Museum has received two specimens which mark a

range of this Bird of Paradise in New Guinea. The late

up to the present time has been
publication of the ‘ Catalogue of

still more easterly extension of the known a a :
Hon. Hugh Romilly presented to the Museum some few years ago a valuable collection of birds from the

S a ski he true JZ chalybeata. A secon i aa
Astrolabe Range, and amongst them I find a skin of t a ly d specimen was
presented by Sir James Ingham, the bird in question having been procured by his son in Cloudy Bay.

The statements as to the occurret
been pointed out by Count Salvadori. It is found, however, on the island of Mysol,

ice of this bird in Salawati, Waigiou, and the Aru Islands are apparently

erroneous, as has
where the well-known Dutch traveller, Hoedt, met with it.

Dr. Guillemard, who obtained a male specimen in Mysol, has stated his opinion that MZ. atra and
M. chalybeata are the same species and that the
I confess that at one time I myself entertained the same idea, as there is so much variation
las if it must be a species of which JZ. chalybeata was the fully

differences between them can be accounted for on the

score of age.
in the plumage of JZ. atra that it seemec
adult bird. As Dr. Guillemard points out, it seems improbable that there should be two such closely allied,

yet distinct, species coexisting in the same districts; but, as Count Salvadori has said in his rejoinder,
. atra alone has been met with in the Ara Islands, and until the true JZ. chalybeata is found in the latter
group it will be impossible to consider the two species identical. At present this statement is unanswerable.

The following description of Mr. Wallace’s Dorey specimen is copied from the ‘ Catalogue of Birds’ :—

Adult male. "ead purple, the feathers compressed and close-set ; the nape slightly washed with steel-
greenish, as also the hinder neck and mantle; back rich purple, the feathers of the interscapulary region
rather recurved ; wings and tail rich purple, the inner webs of the feathers blackish, the outer wing-coverts
somewhat shaded with steel-black; sides of the face and neck deep green, the feathers compressed and
velvety like those of the crown ; those of the chin, throat, and fore neck extending onto the sides of the
neck, crinkled and curled and of an oily-green colour ; the rest of the under surface deep purple, the feathers
being tipped with this colour, less broadly on the vent and under tail-coverts, a few of the abdominal
plumes with a slight greenish reflection ; under wing-coverts black, the outer edge of the wing washed
with green: bill and feet black; ‘iris red” (Guillemard). Total length 14:6 inches, culmen 1-65, wing 6°85,
tail 5:9, tarsus 1°55.

The Plate is reproduced from Mr. Gould’s ‘ Birds of New Guinea,’ and represents an adult bird of the
natural size.