448 CORACIIFORMES 



CHAP. 



and round the base of the bill. Clielidoptera tenelrosa, the 

 " Swallow-wing," of Venezuela, Guiana, and Amazonia, has long 

 wings and a short square tail ; the colour being blue-black, with 

 a chestnut lower abdomen and white tail-coverts. The larger C. 

 hrasiliensis inhabits Brazil. This is apparently the only member 

 of the group of which the nest has been found ; it was a mere 

 hole in a bank, containing two shining white eggs. 



Fam. XVI. Capitonidae. This is here taken to contain the 

 Sub-families (1) Capitoninae, or Barbets, and (2) l7idicatorinae, 

 or Honey-guides. Much confusion has arisen from the fact that 

 Brisson included the former in his genus Bucco, while subse- 

 quently Garrod and W. A. Forbes combined the Bhainjjhastidae 

 (Toucans) with the above-mentioned groups in their Cajntomdae. 



Sub-fam. 1. Capitoninae. Barbets are heavy, ungraceful birds, 

 with large stout bills, which are swollen at the base, occasionally 

 sulcated, and more or less beset with bristles. Pogonorhynchus 

 and Tricholaema have the maxilla toothed generally strongly, 

 while that of Tetragonops fits into a fissure in the truncated tip 

 of the mandible. The scutellated feet are fairly powerful, with 

 zygodactylous toes and rather long claws ; the moderate wings have 

 ten primaries, and ten or eleven secondaries ; the tail of ten rectrices 

 is more usually short than long, and may be square, rounded, or 

 graduated. The clavicles are somewhat reduced ; the tongue is said 

 to be thin, short, and cartilaginous ; the nostrils are often bristly, 

 an aftershaft is present ; while both adults and young lack down. 



The brilliant plumage commonly exhibits vivid contrasts of 

 scarlet, blue, purple, or yellow on a green ground, but Calorham- 

 phus and Gymnohucco are sombre in hue; different species, moreover, 

 have crests, naked orljits, or brightly coloured bills. Tlie sexes 

 are alike, except in Capito ; the young are duller. 



The members of this Family are strictly arboreal, and inhabit 

 forests, or well-timbered cultivated districts and gardens ; not 

 being usually shy, or easily disturbed while feeding in flocks. 

 The tops of trees are their natural resort, yet pairs frequently 

 descend to the bushes, where they hop from branch to branch ; 

 they also climb up and down the trunks, and some African 

 forms are said thus to search the cracks for insects. The flight is 

 powerful and undulating, but Barbets are inactive birds, and 

 often sit motionless for hours, their plaintive whistle, or noisy 

 ringing note of two or three syllables being heard at intervals 





