CHARMOSYNA PAPUENSIS.

Papuan Lorikeet.

Papuan Lory, Lath. Gen. Syn. i. p. 215 (1781).

Psittacus papuensis, Gmel. S. N. i. p. 327 (1788).—Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 88 (1790).—Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 33.

Psittacus papou, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insubr. ii. p. 86 (1786).

La Perruche Lori papou, Levaill. Perrog. ii. p. 9, pl. 77 (1805).

Psittacus lichtensteini, Bechst. Kurze Uebers. p. 82 (1811).

Paleornis papuensis, Vieill. N. Dict. d’ Hist. Nat. xxv. p. 336 (1819).—Vigors, Zool. Journ. ii. p. 56 (1826).

Lorius papuensis, Less. Tr. d’Orn. p. 195 (1831).—Schl. Mus. P.-B., Psittaci, p. 130 (1864).

Charmosyna papuensis, Less., Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. Nov. 1873.—Bp. Rev. et Mag. Z. 1854.—Gray, List Psitt.
1859.

Trichoglossus papuensis, Finsch, Papag. ii. p. 878 (1868).

 

Wuen the collection of birds formed by Signor d’Albertis was submitted to me, I was highly pleased to find
an exquisite specimen of the present bird from Atam. Skins denuded of the head, legs, and wings, as skins
of the Birds of Paradise formerly were, had, it is true, been before my eyes for the last forty years ; but
until now I had not seen it in a perfect state. It is, however, if we may depend upon the older authors,
one hundred years since a knowledge of its existence was acquired by ornithologists. As a matter of
course its synonymy is not only extensive, but in such a state of confusion that it would be out of place, in
a folio work such as I am now penning the letterpress for, to attempt to unravel it. Those who desire
further information on the subject would do well to consult the very excellent and learned work on
the Parrots, ‘Die Papageien,’ by Dr. Otto Finsch, who says :—* This extraordinarily rare Parrot,
distinguished for its splendid colours, was well known to the old author Seba, and was first figured by him.
His single figure represents the bird as a skin in the way in which they are prepared by the Papuan natives.
Seba, who calls every bird with decorative plumage a Bird of Paradise, takes this bird also for one, and
gives its habitat quite correctly as New Guinea. This species is very perplexing as regards its synonymy ;
but it is in any case erroneous for Wagler and Gray to place as synonyms of Trichoglossus papuensis the
very doubtful species Psettacus japonicus of Linneus, and parrus of Bontius, of my Appendix of doubtful
species.

‘Concerning the native country of this bird there has been hitherto some indecision ; but we learn
through Wallace and Von Rosenberg that the species really exists in the northerly and north-westerly
parts of New Guinea. Near Doreh it is very rare; the long tail-feathers, however, are seen in the
feather ornaments of the natives of this place. Schlegel gives the eastern part of New Guinea as its
habitat.”

That Charmosyna papuensis will be regarded as one of the finest of the New-Guinea birds is certain; the
researches of Dr. Meyer, however, have brought under my notice two or three other exquisitely coloured
species, which will hereafter be figured in sequence to this, the head of the genus.

The figure in the accompanying Plate is of the size of life.