:::r.::::C TWO BIRD- LOVERS IN MEXICO B'---" 



limited area in pursuit of other birds. Numerous as 

 these birds were, all about our camp, we never once 

 heard the nocturnal cry, which has given them their 

 odd name of Parauque. 



Our favourite tangle was seldom without its comple- 

 ment of Yellow-bellied Trogons — generally a closely 

 associated flock of three or four individuals, betraying 

 their presence by an occasional soft cluck ! They are 

 very similar to the rose-coloured trogons of our former, 

 more elevated camp, but the rose is replaced with a 

 delicate lemon yellow. These birds fed upon small 

 berries which grew on slender twigs, too slight to sup- 

 port the weight of the birds. Their custom was to dart 

 to the panicle of fruit, hover in front of it for a mo- 

 ment, snatch a berry, and return to their perch to eat 

 it. When several of the trogons were feeding upon 

 one small tree, it was a beautiful — a brilliant sight. 

 From the weakness and small size of their feet and 

 legs, this habit of feeding upon the wing would seem 

 an inevitable one — as in the case of kingfishers and 

 whip-poor-wills. 



W^hen at rest, their backs were always turned toward 

 us, iridescent green in the male bird and uniform gray 

 in its mate. When they left their perch, they fell for- 

 ward, making a short drop straight downward, show- 

 ing all the beauty of yellow and white and green. As 

 suddenly, they then flashed upward, and none but dull 

 hues were visible. 



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