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DIPHYLLODES SELEUCIDE

Lesson’s Bird of Paradise.

Ss, Less.

 
   

Le Manucode @ bouquet, ou le Magnifique, Le Vaill. Ois. Parad. i. pls. 9, 10 (1806).

Magnificent Paradise-Bird, Lath. Gen. Hist. iii. p. 189, pl. xlv. (1822),

Diphyllodes seleucides, Lesson, Ois. Parad. pp- 16, 191, pls. 19, 20 (1835).—Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, iv.
p. xili (1894).—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. (@)) Saves lint (1896).

? Diphyllodes magnificus, Lesson, Compl. Buff., Ois. p. 466 (1838).

   
          
    
 
    
   
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
   
  
 
   

 

 

 

Towarps the end of the year 1895, Mr. Dunstall, to whom the British Muse

um owes many fine acquisitions

' py’ from New Guinea, brought for my inspection a large number of skins of Diphyllodes, which had been sent

\ over to this country for the decoration of ladies’ hats. There were over a hundred of these skins, and

; among them were one or two specimens of D. magnifica, but the bulk consisted of a form of Diphyllodes
which I had not seen before.

\ The specimens were believed to have come from the Arfak district, but the actual locality was unknown to

. Y Mr. Dunstall. Instead of having pale ochre-coloured wings, the latter were yellow, and this colour was

\ very fairly constant in the large series examined by me. Although in a few examples a tendency to orange
’ on the wings was exhibited, none of these approached the deep colour of D. chrysoptera or D. hunsteini.

Although it is very difficult to determine the species figured in the works of the old authors, I believe
that we may safely attach to this Arfak bird the name of D. seleucides of Lesson; and doubtless some of the
synonymy placed under the heading of D, magnifica really belongs to D. seleucides, but it is impossible to
determine this point at the present day.

The existence of this race of Diphyllodes was known to Count Salvadori, who had some specimens before
him from Andai and Mount Arfak when he was writing the ‘ Ornitologia della Papuasia,’ and he remarked on
the brighter colour of the wings in the males from these localities, which showed an approach to
D. chrysoptera of Jobi Island. Whether a complete connection will some day be found between the three
species of Diphyllodes which inhabit North-western New Guinea, can only be proved by some naturalist who
is fortunate enough to have time and opportunity to follow up the exact distribution of these birds.

The present species, as will be seen from the figures in the Plate, is very similar to D. Ce but
\ differs, as has been pointed out above, in the richer yellow colour of its wings. The specimens figured are
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in the British Museum.

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