ongated tail-coverts
which hang down beyond the tail to a length of three feet or more,
curving elegantly under the bird, as it sits on a branch, are of the
richest golden green, shining with a satiny radiance. The under parts
are of a splendid scarlet, and the tail feathers are white, with broad
black bars.

More enchanting than mere colour, however rich and glowing this may be,
is the fine metallic reflection which we see on the plumage of many
tropical birds. The Rifle-bird of Australia might be seen sitting on a
tree, and be passed by with contempt as a mere crow, while the eye was
attracted to a more gaily-hued parrot by its side. But viewed close at
hand, in the full blaze of the sun, the darker-plumaged bird is seen to
exceed the other by far, in gorgeous glory, and to be not unworthy of
the specific title of _Paradiseus_, by which it is known to naturalists.
The body generally is of a deep velvet black, but it reflects a purple
flush on the upper parts, and the feathers of the under parts are edged
with olive-green. The crown of the head, and the whole throat, are
clothed with scale-like feathers of the brightest emerald-green, which
blaze with a gemmeous lustre in certain lights, and make the most vivid
contrast with the velvet of the body. The tail displays its two middle
feathers of the same lustrous green, while the bordering ones are deep
black.

The vast and little-known island of Papua contains some specimens of the
feathered race of surpassing glory. The _Epimachi_, or Plume-birds, take
a prominent place in this category. They are remarkable for the erectile
scale-like feathers of the sides and shoulders, which form large
fan-shaped tufts, standing out from the body in a very striking manner.
Speaking of the superb Epimachus, Sonnerat, its describer, thus
writes:--"As if to add to the singularity of this bird, nature has
placed above and below its wings feathers of an extraordinary form, and
such as one does not see in other birds; she seems, moreover, to have
pleased herself in painting this being, already so singular, with her
most brilliant colours. The head, the neck, and the belly are glittering
green; the feathers which cover these parts possess the lustre and
softness of velvet to the eye and touch; the back is changeable violet;
the wings are of the same colour, and appear, according to the lights in
which they are held, blue, violet, or deep black; always, however,
imitating velvet. The tail i