The LONG-WINGED MACRODIPTERYX (_Macrodipteryx longipennis_) has the tail
of moderate size, and straight at its extremity; the foot resembles that
of the European species; the beak is delicate and furnished with long
bristles at its base. The plumage of the _male_ bird is characterised by
the long appendages which grow between the primary and secondary quills.
These appendages, or rather shafts, are frequently seventeen inches
long, entirely bare to within six inches of the extremity, where the
web grows upon both sides and forms a broad expansion. The wing of the
female is entirely without this remarkable structure. The plumage, which
is somewhat dusky, is a mixture of red and black; the throat is paler,
and the nape decorated with a yellowish tint; the primaries are striped
black and red, with a dark tip; the secondaries are black with four red
stripes. The centre tail-feathers are grey, spotted and streaked with
black. The length of these birds is about five inches: the tail measures
from three and a half to four, and the wing six inches and three-quarters.