SELEUCIDES NIGRICANS.

Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise.

Le Manucode a douze filets, Audeb. et Vieill. Ois. Dor. ii. p. 29, pl. 13.

Le Nébuleux, Levaill. Ois. de Parad. i. ols, 1G, 17.

Le Promerops multifil, Levaill, H. N. Promer. et Guép. pl. 17.

Paradisea nigricans, Shaw, Gen. Zool. vii. pt. 2, p. 489 (1809).
alba, Blumenb. Abbild. nat. Gegenst. pl. 96.—Schleg. J. f. O. 1861, p. 386.
resplendescens, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. xxviii. p. 165.—Id. Galerie Ois. p- 107, pl. 185.

Epimachus albus, Temm. Man. d’Orn. i. p. Ixxxvii—Wagl. Syst. Av. 1827, Epimachus, sp. 9.—Gray, Gen. B. ii.
p. 94.—Id. P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 190.—Id. List B. New Guinea, Di 2b O tel acer annem se
Wallace, P. Z. S. 1862, p. 160.—Schleg. Mus. P.-B., Coraces, p- 95.—Id. Nederl. Tijdschr. Dierk. iy.
p. 49.—Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 105.

Twelve-wired Paradise Bird, Lath. Gen. Hist. iii. p. 199, pl. 48.

Seleucides acanthylis, Less. H. N. Ois. Parad. pls. 36—38.—Id. Syn. p. 29.

Nematophora alba, Gray, List Gen. B. i. De Ls

Seleucides alba, Gray, List Gen. B., Addenda, p. 1.—Bp. Consp. i. p. 412.—Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 215.—Reichenb.
Handb. Spec. Orn. Scansoriz, p. 331, taf. 612, figs. 4092, 4093.—Wallace, Malay Archip. ii. p. 250.—
Elhot, Monogr. Parad. pl. xxii—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova, vii. p. 785.—Beccari, ¢. ¢. p. 713.—
Sel. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 252.

Ptiloris nebulosus, Licht. Nomencl. p. 10.

Seleucides resplendens, Rosenb. Nat. Tijdschr. Nederl. Ind. xxv. p. 238.—Id. J. f. O. 1864, p. 123.

Epimachus resplendens, Rosenb. Reist, naar Geelvinkb. pp. 101, 116.

Seleucides ignota, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova, viii. p. 403; ix. p. 191; x. p. 154.—D’Albert. & Salvad.
DD. Oli, WWo JD. LOW.
niger, Sharpe, Cat. B. iii. p. 159.

Epimachus resplendescens, Rosenb. Malay Arch. p. 552.

Seleucides nigricans, Salvad. Orn, della Papuasia &c. p. 561 (1881).

 

Tue list of names given above shows that this species of Bird of Paradise has been known to writers
for a long period. Most of the synonymy I have derived from Mr. Bowdler Sharpe’s ‘Catalogue of Birds,’
and from the more complete list of works given by Count Salvadori in his recently published book on the
birds of New Guinea. When I state that I have by no means exhausted the synonymy of the species as
set down by Count Salvadori, it may readily be imagined that the number of books in which reference is
made to the species is very large indeed. I have not, however, full space for such lengthened synonymy
in the present work, and must refer the reader to the above-mentioned volumes for further quotations.
The Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise is the only representative of the genus Seleucides, which belongs to the
slender-billed section of the Paradiseide. It is remarkable for its elongated flank-feathers, which are of a
fine yellow colour, and have six shafts produced into thread-like plumes, whence the bird has received its
ordinary English name. Unfortunately the beautiful yellow colour on the flanks fades away after death,
and becomes white, when the bird loses much of its original beauty.

With regard to the nomenclature of the bird, I have come to the conclusion that the first name, which
ought to be employed, is that of nigricans of Shaw, as has been set forth by Count Salvadori. As far as
we know at present, it is entirely confined to New Guinea, over the whole of which great island it
appears to be distributed. It is abundant on the Fly river, to judge by the large series obtained by
Signor D’Albertis during his residence in Southern New Guinea. He found it living solitary, and
frequently resting on the dead branch of a tree, uttering its note (which sounded like Co-co-co ) in the early
morning at the rising of the sun; during the day it was silent. Mr. Wallace, in his ‘ Malay Archipelago,’
gives the following account of the species :—‘‘ The Séleucides alba is found in the island of Salwatty, and
in the north-western parts of New Guinea, where it frequents flowering trees, especially sago-palms and
pandani, sucking the flowers, round and beneath which its unusually large and powerful feet enable it to

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