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DREPANORNIS CERVINICAUDA.

Bennett’s Bird of Paradise.

Drepanornis albertisii (nec Sclater), Sharpe, Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xvi. p. 445 (1882).—Salvad. Orn. Papuasia,
etc. 11. App. p. 552 (1882).
Drepanornis @albertistt, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. W. iv. p. 469 (1880).—Id. op. cit.viii. p. 28 (1883).

 

For some time it was suspected both by Mr. Ramsay and by ourselves that the Drepanornis from South-
eastern New Guinea was a different species from that of the Arfak Mountains, as the tail was always so
much paler than in the north-western bird. Unfortunately only female specimens were at first obtained
by the collectors in the Astrolabe Mountains, and it was only quite recently that Mr. Goldie succeeded in
procuring the males.

Dr. Bennett of Sydney, who has always proved himself a true friend to science, became the possessor of
specimens from the Astrolabe range in South-eastern New Guinea, and the British Museum is indebted to
his liberality for the beautiful skins which now adorn that collection. They were previously submitted to
Dr. Sclater, who exhibited them at a meeting of the Zoological Society on the 4th of December, 1883, and
gave to them the name of cervinicauda.

Mr. Ramsay bas likewise procured a series for the Sydney Museum, and has had the additional good
fortune to obtain the nest and egg of this new Bird of Paradise, which he describes as follows :—

“The nest is a thin, rather flat structure, built between a horizontal bough in a fork of a thin branch ; it
has a slight depression about one inch deep, a network of wire rootlets are stretched across the fork, and
the nest proper built on them ; it is composed of wiry grasses of a light reddish-brown colour, the platform
being of black wiry roots.

“The egg is in length 1°37, by 1 inch in breadth ; it is of a light dull cream-colour, with a reddish tinge,
spotted all over with oblong dashes of reddish brown and light purplish grey, closer on the thick end.”

It is unnecessarv to give a complete description of this species. It may be said to be exactly like
Drepanornis albertisi from North-western New Guinea, but distinguished by its much paler rump and tail.

The type specimens are figured in the Plate, a representation of the male and female being given of about
the natural size.

[R. B. S.]

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