Monthly light and Malaise trap catches, taken over 31 months, were used to examine seasonal and annual changes in the abundance of predominant orders of upland tropical rainforest insects. Insect numbers and biomass increased during the late dry season, reached a peak during the wetter months, and declined during the early dry period. Fluctuations in insect abundance appeared to relate to (1) climatic factors such as length and severity ofthe dry season, or amount and period of rainfall; and (2) food availability such as an increase in the production of new leaves, or flowering and fruiting periodicity.

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Thirteen active and 14 old Archbold's Bowerbird Archboldia papuensis nests were studied in Tari Gap, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. Clutch size was one egg. At two nests, only one‐parent nest attendance was observed. Incubation and nestling periods were considerably longer and nestling growth slower than in other bowerbird species, possibly reflecting adaptation to a colder environment depauperate in insects. Of 382 identified nestling meals, 71% were exclusively fruit (14 spp. identified) and 29% were animal. Of 112 animal meals, 30% were skinks (Reptilia), 28% were small arthropods, 17% were beetles and the remainder (25%) were larger insects, pieces of nestling birds and unidentified items. Most active nests were built adjacent to older nests and the significance of this is discussed.

The five species of manucode Manucodia (including Phonygammus) (Diamond 1972, Beehler and Finch 1985) are monogamous and sexually monomorphic, glossy blue-black, and are medium-to-large passerines of the family Paradisaeidae. They are confined to forests of New Guinea, certain satellite islands and tropical northeastern Australia (Cooper and Forshaw 1977, Beehler et al. 1986, Coates 1990). Of the 37 other, conspicuously sexually dimorphic, birds-of-paradise (two monomorphic Paradigalla spp. excepted), 35 are known or presumed to reproduce polygamously. In the latter 35 species, males are promiscuous, and females attend the nest, egg(s) and young alone and unaided (

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