some Birds from Yucatan. 467 



upper part of back, rump, cheeks, breast, and sides of neck, 

 reddish green or olive. In middle of back is a spot of bay. 

 A stripe of very light blue, like some of the salts of copper, 

 passes from base of bill, along each side of head, almost to 

 nape. A black stripe extends under each eye to neck. 

 Another black stripe passes down middle of chin, to upper 

 part of breast, growing broader as it descends, and mixed 

 with light blue on chin, and bordered on each side with same 

 color. Abdomen, under tail coverts, and flanks, bright rufous ; 

 primaries and tail light green, changing to blue in some lights, 

 tipped, and more or less bordered, with black ; the expansion 

 at end of two middle tail feathers, about half bright pale 

 green, varying to blue, and the other half black. 



Total length 15| inches ; hill 2^ inches along gape^ 1| along 

 ridge ; ^ inch broad, y"^ of an inch through at base. About 

 50 serrations can be counted on each edge of upper mandible, 

 and 32 on each edge of lower. A strongly -marked ridge runs 

 along roof of mouth, to within f of an inch of point of 

 bill. Tarsus | of an inch long; tail, consisting of 10 feath- 

 ers, is 8i inches long ; bare part of two central feathers is 

 about 2^ inches ; first primary shortest, fourth longest. 



I might here observe, that, had I as much desire of creating 

 new genera and sub-genera as some of the ornithologists of 

 the present day, and thus making scientific classification a 

 study in itself, instead of an aid in the study of nature, I 

 might make a new sub-genus of this bird. Although, in all its 

 prominent markings and habits, it is properly a ^rotmot, yet 

 it has some striking diflferences in the form of the bill, (tc, as 

 will be seen on comparing the description of this bird with 

 the other species of Momotus. The female is like the male, 

 only smaller. 



