CRASPEDOPHORA MAGNIFICA (Vieill.).

New-Guinea Rifle-bird.

Le Proméfil, Levaill. Ois. de Parad. p. 36, pl. 16 (1807).

L’ Epimaque Proméfil, Cuvier, Régne Anim. i. p. 408 (1817).—Swains. Zool. Journ. i. p. 481 (1825).

Faleinellus magnificus, Vieill. N. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxviii. p- 167, pl. G. fig. 3 (1819).

Tufted Promerops, Lath. Gen. Hist. B. iv. p. 112, pl. 67 (1822).

Epimachus magnificus, Ranzani, Element. Zool. iii. pt. 3, p. 111 (1822).—Wagler, Syst. Av., Epimachus, p- 10
(1827).—Cuvier, Régne Anim. i. p. 440 (1829).—Less. Cent. Zool. p. 22, pls. 4, 5 (1830).—Id. Ois.
Parad. Syn. p. 27 (1830).—Id. Hist. Nat. Ois. Parad. p- 218, pls. 32-34 (1835).—Id. Compl. Buff.
p. 537, cum tab. (1838).—Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 94 (1848).—Id. P. Z.S. 1858, p- 190 (pt.).—Id. Cat.
Mamm. & B. New Guinea, pp. 22, 55 (1859, pt.).—Id. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 155, 1861, p. 433.—Schlegel,
Mus. Pays-Bas, Coraces, p. 96 (1867, pt.).—Wallace, Malay Arch. ii. p. 416 (1869).—Schlegel, N. T.
Dierk. iv. pp. 17, 49 (1871).—Rosenb. Reis. naar Geelvinkb. pp. 63, 83, 116 (1875).—Sclater, P.Z. S.
1876, p. 414.—D’Albertis, Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. x. p. 14 (1877).—Rosenb. Malay. Arch, p. 552 (1879).

Promeérops proméfil ou a parures chevelues, Dumont, Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xliii. p. 367 (1826).—Drap. Dict. Class. xiv.
p. 293 (1828).

Epimachus splendidus, Steph. Gen. Zool. xiv. p. 77 (1826).

Epimachus filamentosus, 8. Mill. Verh. Land- en Volkenk. p. 22 (1839-44).—Licht. Nomencl. p. 10 (1854).

Craspedophora magnifica, Gray, List Gen. B. 1840, Add. p. 1.—Id. op. cit. 2nd ed. p. 15 (1841).—Bp. Consp. i.
p. 412 (1850).—Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 214 (1851).—Reichenb. Handb. Scansoriz, p. 330, taf. dexi.
figs. 4089-91 (1853).—Wallace, P. Z. S. 1862, p. 160.—Rosenb. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Ind. xxv. p. 238
(1863).—Id. J. f. O. 1864, p. 123.—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. viii. p. 404 (1876), ix. p.191 (1876),
x. p. 154 (1877).—D’Albertis & Salvad. op. cit. xiv. p. 106 (1879).—Gould, B. New Guinea, i. lees
(1879).—D’Albertis, Nuova Guinea, pp. 582, 588 (1880).—Eudes-Deslongch. Ann. Mus. d’Hist. Nat.
Caen, i. p. 10 (1880).—Salvad. Orn. Papuasia, ii. p. 554 (1881).—Guillem. P. Z.S. 1885, p. 650.—
Meyer, Zeitschr. ges. Orn. iii. p. 36 (1886).—Salvad. Agg. Orn. Papuasia, ii. p. 157 (1890).

Eyimachus paradiseus (nec Swains.), Gray, Gen. B. ii. pl. 32 (1848).

Piilornis magnificus, Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 105, no. 1273 (1869).—Musschenbr. Dagboek, pp. 199, 231 (1883),.—
Rosenb. Mitth. orn. Ver. Wien, 1885, p. 40.

Ptilorhis magnifica, Sclater, Journ. Linn. Soc. ii. p. 164 (1858).—Finsch, Neu-Guinea, p- 165 (1865, pt.).—
Wallace, Malay Arch. ii. p. 420 (1869).—Schl. Dierent. p. 175, cum fig. (1872).—Sharpe, Cat. Birds
in Brit. Mus. iii. p. 157 (1877).—D’Albertis, Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. x. p. 14 (1877).—Ramsay, Proc.
Linn. Soc. N.S. W. iv. p. 97 (1880).—D’Hamony. Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1886, p. 508.

Paradisea magnifica, Schl. J. f. O. 1861, p. 386.

Paradisea magnifica major, Schl. t.c. p. 386.

Ptilorhis major, Finsch, Neu-Guinea, p. 165 (1865).

Ptilorhis magnificus, Elliot, P. Z.S. 1871, p. 583.
Genov. vii. p. 785 (1875).

 

Id. Monogr. Parad. pl. 23 (1873).—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ.

Ptiloris superbus, Beccari, Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. vii. p. 713 (1875, teste Salvad. Orn. Papuasia, ii. p. 554).
Ptilorhis wilsoni, Ogden, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad, 1875, p. 451, pl. 254.—Id. op. cit. 1876, p. 182.—Sharpe,
Cat. Birds in Brit. Mus. iii. p. 156, note (1877).—Salvin & Sclater, Ibis, 1877, p. 242.

 

Turs is the oldest known species of Rifle-bird, having been described by Cuvier in the early part of the
present century; but it was for many years unrepresented in museums, until it was re-discovered in North-
western New Guinea by Mr. A. R. Wallace, who procured some specimens near Dorey. Since the voyage of
the latter naturalist to New Guinea, the Rifle-bird has been obtained by a number of travellers in North-
western New Guinea, but it does not seem to ascend the higher ranges of that part of the great Papuan
island. Signor D’Albertis met with the species at a distance of 300 miles up the Fly River, and it is
interesting to find that the Rifle-bird which he obtained was C. magnifica, and not C, intercedens of the
south-eastern portion of the island.

All the specimens received at first in Europe were dried native skins, and the typical example appears to
have passed from Bullock’s Museum into the hands of Cuvier at Paris. The latter only gave a French name
to the species, and Vieillot was the first naturalist to confer a specific title on it.

The nesting-habits of this species of Rifle-bird are still unknown, though, according to information given