980 TOURACO 
that applied to it in Guinea, whence it had been brought alive. It 
is the Cuculus persa of Linneus, and Turacus or Corythaix persa of 
later authors, who perceived that it required generic separation. 
Cuvier, in 1799 or 1800, Latinized its native name (adopted in 
the meanwhile by both French and German writers) as above, for 
which barbarous term Illiger, in 1811, substituted a more classical 
word; but in 1788 Isert had described and figured a bird, also 
from Guinea, which he called Musophaga violacea (PLANTAIN-EATER, 
p. 730), and its affinity to the original Touraco being soon recog- 
TuRACUS CORYTHAIX. (After Schlegel.) 
nized, both forms have been joined by modern systematists in the 
Family MJusophagide. 
To take first the Plantain-eaters proper, or the genus Musophaga 
of which only two species are known. One about the size of a 
Crow is comparatively common in museums, and is readily recog- 
nized by having the horny base of its fine yellow bill prolonged 
backward over the forehead in a kind of shield. The top of the 
head, and the primaries, except their outer edge and tip, are deep 
crimson ; a white streak extends behind the eye; and the rest of 
the plumage is of a rich glossy purple. The second species, J. 
ross, which is rare, chiefly differs by wanting the white eye-streak. 
Then of the Touracos—the species originally described is about 
the size of a Jay, and has the head, crest (which is vertically com- 
pressed and tipped with red), neck and breast of a fine grass-green, 
