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PHONYGAMA PURPUREOVIOLACEA,

Purple-and-Violet Manucode.

Meyer.

Phonygama purpureoviolacea, Meyer, in Madarasz, Zeitsch. ges. Orn. il. p. 375, taf. xv. (1885)

 

Tux species of Phonygama from South-eastern New Guinea are difficult. to dete

| rmine, as the changes
to which the metallic colours are subject under the influences of

abrasion or wearing of the feathers
are at present indistinctly understood. The species from North-western New Guinea is Phonygama |
keraudrem, and we have ourselves described from Southern New Guinea two species of the genus,
P. hunstein and P. james. With these we have compared a series of P. purpureoviolacea procured
by Mr. H. O. Forbes in the Astrolabe Mountains, as well as an example obtained by Mr. Hunstein
himself in the Horseshoe range.

P. hunsteini is much larger than any of the Astrolabe specimens; its colour is a dull purple with
scarcely any gloss, and the colour of the head and crest-feathers is metallic oily green, of diminished
lustre. It will probably be found that P. Awnsteint is an inhabitant of one of the islands off the coast,
and not of New Guinea itself. No information, beyond that it had come, like other birds in the
collection, from East Cape in South-eastern New Guinea, was given with the type specimen of P. hunsteini ;
but it is quite possible that the real habitat is Normanby Island, where Mr. Hunstein also collected.
At any rate the species appears distinct from P. james and P. purpureoviolacea, of which it could
only be a worn and bleached individual, and even then the larger size is not accounted for.

The series before us at the present moment leaves very little doubt that the Phonygama recently
described by Dr. Meyer, and figured by us in the accompanying Plate, is distinct from DP. hkeraudreni
and P. hunsteini; but it is apparently the same as Phonygama jamesii, a species described by us in
1877 from Aleya, in South-eastern New Guinea, The chief difference between these two species
is, that P. purpureoviolacea is more purple above and steel-blue below, and P. jamesii is metallic
green above and steel-green below. But between these extremes of colour every transition is found in the
series now before us; and it should be noted that the type specimen of P. yamese is moulting, and that
the old feathers of the wing are very dull purple, while the new ones are bright purplish blue externally.
In fine, without asserting dogmatically that P. jamesii and P. pupureoviolacea are the same, we have very
little doubt in our own minds that they are, and that the steel-blue and green shades become gradually
faded into purple or purplish blue.

The figures in the Plate represent an adult bird in two positions, drawn from a specimen procured by

Mr. Hunstein in the Horseshoe range, and now in the British Museum.

[R. B. 8.]