om the former island have the green breast shield rather
longer, the crown of the head darker violet, and the lower parts of the
body rather more strongly scaled with green. This is the only Paradise
Bird yet found in the Moluccan district, all the others being confined
to the Papuan Islands and North Australia.

We now come to the Epimachidae, or Long-billed Birds of Paradise, which,
as before stated, ought not to be separated from the Paradiseidae by the
intervention of any other birds. One of the most remarkable of these is
the Twelve-wired Paradise Bird, Paradises alba of Blumenbach, but now
placed in the genus Seleucides of Lesson.

This bird is about twelve inches long, of which the compressed and
curved beak occupies two inches. The colour of the breast and upper
surface appears at first sight nearly black, but a close examination
shows that no part of it is devoid of colour; and by holding it in
various lights, the most rich and glowing tints become visible. The
head, covered with short velvety feathers, which advance on the chic
much further than on the upper part of the beak, is of a purplish bronze
colour; the whole of the back and shoulders is rich bronzy green, while
the closed wings and tail are of the most brilliant violet purple, all
the plumage having a delicate silky gloss. The mass of feathers which
cover the breast is really almost black, with faint glosses of green
and purple, but their outer edges are margined with glittering bands of
emerald green. The whole lower part of the body is rich buffy yellow,
including the tuft of plumes which spring from the sides, and extend an
inch and a half beyond the tail. When skins are exposed to the light
the yellow fades into dull white, from which circumstance it derived its
specific name. About six of the innermost of these plumes on each side
have the midrib elongated into slender black wires, which bend at right
angles, and curve somewhat backwards to a length of about ten inches,
forming one of those extraordinary and fantastic ornaments with which
this group of birds abounds. The bill is jet black, and the feet
bright yellow. (See lower figure on the plate at the beginning of this
chapter).

The female, although not quite so plain a bird as in some other species,
presents none of the gay colours or ornamental plumage of the male. The
top of the head and back of the neck are black, the rest of the upper
parts rich reddish brown; while the under surface i