230 Observations on the Trogon paradisens. 



than 31 from the bill to the tip of the longest of the upper tail 

 coverts : the bill, which is 1 j inch in length to the gape, looks 

 short, it is compressed, curved, entire, of a reddish yellow ; 

 the general plumage is of a most resplendent golden green, 

 slightly tinged with blue ; the feathers of the head are slen- 

 der, and form a circular, erect, compressed crest, commencing 

 at the base of the bill ; the eyes are surrounded with a black- 

 ish hue, which colour pervades the whole of the feathers, with 

 the exception of the brilliant tips. The very robust shafts of 

 the rump feathers are white at the base ; the throat and breast, 

 which have the general golden green colour, verge a little 

 more upon blue ; the whole of the abdomen, flanks, and vent, 

 are of a most brilliant and vivid red, which colour tinges the 

 tip only of the feathers ; those however which cover the thighs 

 are blackish throughout ; the wings, which have the third and 

 fourth quills the longest, measure 8 inches, and when folded, 

 reach to one third the length of the tail ; the superior wing 

 coverts are of the same colour as the back, and are more than 

 two inches in length, acute, and curved ; the inferior wing 

 coverts are blackish, slightly variegated with green ; the pri- 

 maries are wholly black ; the tail is 7 inches long, cuneiform, 

 composed of twelve feathers, the three outermost of which on 

 each side, are white, with a black shaft, the six middle fea- 

 thers are entirely black. 



The principal singularity of this bird consists in the upper 

 tail coverts, which are similar in colour to the back ; loose in 

 their texture, as is the general plumage ; and all of them have 

 a tendency to prolongation, which is most conspicuous in the 

 lowest, four of which extend beyond the tail ; two of them 

 measuring more than thrice the length of the body ; the short- 

 est pair of these lengthened plumes measures one foot, the 

 other pair more than two. Not only the casual observer but 

 even naturalists, would at first sight mistake these ornamen- 

 tal plumes for a portion of the tail. The feet are blackish, 

 with the tarsi f of an inch in length, and the toes are dispos- 

 ed in pairs, as in all the trogons. 



The Quezalt is a rare and very shy bird ; it is confined to 

 restricted limits, being found solely in a peculiar section of the 

 mountainous district of Vera Paz, in the province of the same 

 name, now forming one of the five independent states which 

 constitute the federal republic of central America. The In- 

 dians inhabiting that country celebrate every year the festival 

 called ' Quezalt,' during which they adorn their heads with 

 the skin and feathers of this bird, which they afterwards care- 

 fully preserve until the next anniversary, and are induced to 

 part with them with the utmost difficulty. 



