186 BEAUTIFUL BIRDS 
highly valued by these people who used to live 
in Mexico, that no one was ever allowed to kill 
the bird, but only to catch it and cut them off and 
let it go again, so that new ones might grow on it. 
And only the chiefs were allowed to wear its 
feathers. And, indeed, there would be no great 
harm in wearing feathers in hats, if we got them 
only in that way. Only I cannot think what the 
little demon could have been about in that country. A 
law like that must have made him very angry indeed. 
Then, besides his splendid tail-feathers, this beauti- 
ful bird has a crest on his head, which is something 
like the one the Cock-of-the-Rock has on his, for 
it is of the same tea-cosy shape, only it is green 
instead of crimson, and it does not quite cover up 
the beak. So perhaps you will think that, as the 
Cock-of-the-Rock is all blood-red, with a tea-cosy 
crest on his head, this beautiful golden-green 
Trogon, with the tea-cosy crest on Ais head, is all 
golden-green. But no, all the lower part of him 
—that part which is hidden when he sits down— 
instead of being golden-green, is the most splendid 
vermilion, as bright a colour—although it is not quite 
the same—as the Cock-of-the-Rock’s himself. Just 
think, golden-green and splendidly bright vermilion ! 
and you cannot think how beautiful the one looks 
against the other. Whether they would look quite 
