Carola's parotia (Parotia carolae)

Carola's parotia was thus named in honour of Queen Caroline of Sweden, wife of King Albert of Saxony. To seduce a female, the male of this beautiful New Guinea forest bird performs a sophisticated dance, the most complex seduction ritual of all birds-of-paradise.
This specimen was collected by Hermann Graf zu Solms-Laubach in New Guinea and acquired by the Museum in 1897. This German scientist studied botany in Berlin, Geneva and Halle. In 1872, he was appointed Extraordinary Professor in Strasbourg and became director of the Botanical Garden there in 1888.
Shortly before, in 1883-1884, he participated in an important expedition to Java described in his biography, but no mention is made there of a detour to New Guinea. How did he come by a bird that was endemic to New Guinea? The question still remains unanswered today.