IANTHOTHORAX BENSBACHII, Bian.

Bensbach’s Bird of Paradise.

Lanthothorax bensbachiit, Biittik. Notes Leyden Mus. xvi. p. 163 (1894).—Sharpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, iv.
p. xii (1894).

 

Tue type specimen of this species, which Dr. Biittikofer has rightly recognized as belonging to a
distinct genus of Paradiseide, is in the Leyden Museum, where I examined it in 1895. The genus is
nearly allied to Ptilorhis and Craspedophora, and has the flank-feathers developed as in those genera; but it
lacks the metallic breast-shield of these latter, from which Janthothoraxr is further distinguished by its
elongated central tail-feathers, which are metallic. As Dr. Buttikofer has pointed out, moreover, it has the
first primary emarginate near the end of the inner web, asin Astrapia and Parotia.

The home of this beautiful species is said to be in the Arfak range of mountains in North-western New
Guinea, and the type specimen was presented to the Leyden Musenm by Mr. J. Bensbach, the Dutch
Resident at Ternate, in whose honour the species has been named by Dr. Buttikofer.

The type specimen described below is not quite fully adult, having a few brown immature feathers left.

Adult male. General colour above purplish black, with dark steel-green and purplish gloss when held away
from the light ; the lower back and rump apparently of the same colour as the back in the adult bird, but
in the present specimen these parts are sandy brown; wings apparently black in full plumage, with a
gloss of metallic green, but the wipg-coverts sandy brown and the quills bronzy brown, the innermost
secondaries paler brown towards the ends; upper tail-coverts steel-green ;  tail-feathers bronzy brown,
externally metallic steel-green, with black shafts, but the green more of an oily shade; crown of head
metallic oily or golden green, with steel-green and even bronzy reflections; sides of face and throat
also metallic green, inclining to steel-blue on the throat, the lower throat scaly in appearance, more
bronzy green, with purplish and even leaden-green reflections ; fore-neck and breast purplish black, forming
an ill-defined shield; the abdomen browner, but glossed with purplish black ; flank-feathers close-set and
long, dark brown, the longer feathers with elongated points, on which the barbs are very much dissociated :
bill and feet black ; iris red (Bensbach). Total length 13 inches, culmen 1°75, wing 67, tail 4°75, centre
tail-feathers 8, tarsus 1-6.

The figure in the Plate is copied from a painting of the type specimen by Mr. Keulemans.