122 THE XATUEALIST IX XICAEAGUA. [Cli. VII. 



common, about the size of a plump fowl, and tasting like 

 a pheasant. There were also two species of grouse and 

 a ground pigeon, all good eating. 



Amongst the smaller birds were trogons, mot-mots, 

 toucans, and woodpeckers. The trogons are general 

 feeders. I have taken from their crops the remains of 

 fruits, grasshoppers, beetles, termites, and even small 

 crabs and land shells. Three species are not uncommon 

 in the forest around Santo Domingo. In all of them the 

 females are dull brown or slaty black on tbe back and 

 neck, these parts being beautiful bronze green in the 

 male. The largest species (Trogon massena, Gould) is 

 one foot in length, dark bronze green above, with the 

 smaller wing feathers speckled white and black, and the 

 belly of a beautiful carmine. Sometimes it- sits on a 

 branch above where the army ants are foraging below ; 

 and when a grasshopper or other large insect flies up 

 and alights on a leaf, it darts after it, picks it up, and 

 returns to its perch. I sometimes found them breaking 

 into the nests of the termites with their strong bills, and 

 eating the large soft-bodied workers ; and it was from 

 the crop of this species that I took the remains of a small 

 crab and a land shell (Helicina). Of the two smaller 

 species, one (Trogon atricollis, Viell.) is bronze green 

 above, with speckled black and white wings, belly 

 vellow, and under feathers of the tail white, barred with 



/ ' 



black. The other (Trogon caligatm, Gould) is rather 

 smaller, of similar colours, excepting the head, which is 

 black, and a dark blue collar round the neck. Both 

 species take short, quick, jerky flights, and are often met 

 with along with flocks of other birds fly- catchers, 

 tanagers, creepers, woodpeckers, &c., that hunt together, 



