TROGON. 



TROGONID^E. 



1122 



The cut of the 'Soucio,' in the 'Portraits d'Oyseaux,' has the 

 following quatrain beneath it : 



" De tous oyscnux I'oyeeau plus plcin de ioye 

 Eat U Siucic hantant aur lea chemins, 

 Kt aur lea chonx et herbea dC3 iardins. 

 II cat petit plus qu'atitre que Ion voye." 



Golden-Crested Wren (Rrftittu criitaliu). 



This bird must not be confounded with the rarer Fire-Crested 

 Wren (Reyidiu ignicapilltu), Koitelet triple Bandeau of Temminck, 

 which is also to be seen in Britain. [REGULUS ; SVLVIAD.E.] 



TROGON. [TnoooKiD/E.] 



TROQO'NID^, a family of Insessorial or Perching Birds, remark- 

 able for the beaut; of their plumage. 



Linnxus, in his last edition of the ' Syetema Natures,' placed the 

 genus Troyon in his order Picas, between Paraditea and Succo, in the 

 body of the work ; but in his 'Characteres Avium,' at the commence- 

 ment of the Birds, where he divides the Piece into three sections 

 (1, those with walking feet ; 2, those with scansorial feet ; and 

 3, those with gressorial feet), he places Trogon in the second section, 

 between Ramphattot and Piittacnt. Latham also places it in the same 

 second section, between Crotophaga and the Barbets. 



In Swainaon's ' Synopsis ' the Trogonulcc are placed between the 

 Ualcyonidce and the Caprimulgidas, with the following characters : 



TroyonicUt, the Trogons. Bill short, triangular, strong ; the tips, 

 and generally the margins, toothed ; wings very short. Rasorial. 



Troyon, Linn. Both mandibles with their cutting margins serrated ; 

 the two anterior toes united as far as the first joint; nostrils concealed 

 by bristles ; tarsus entirely feathered. It inhabits tropical America. 

 The Dentirostral type. 



Sub-Genera llarpactet, Sw. Bill stronger; both mandibles deeply 

 notched at their tips, but the margins smooth; nostrils perfectly 

 naked ; tarsus only half feathered ; the anterior toes less united. It 

 inhabits tropical Asia. The Conirostral tyi e. 



Apaloderma, Sw. Bill as in Trogon, but the dentitions almost 

 obsolete ; feet stronger ; the two anterior toes cleft to their base. It 

 is a native of Africa. The Tenuirostral type. 



TVmituriif, Sw. Bill as in Trogon ; tail-feathers forked at their tips, 

 the points diverging. It inhabits South America. 



t'alnriu, Sw. Bill destitute of serratures ; head (typically) with a 

 compressed and elevated crest; upper tail-coverts enormously deve- 

 loped, and hiding the tail. It is a native of South America. The 

 Rasorial type. 



Under a line, and between the Trogon'ulfe and the Cttprimulgida, 

 are placed the genera (JrypticM, Sw., and Priorities, III. J and Mr. 

 Swainion, speaking of (Jrypticut, remarks that it is by this form, ns he 

 uspects, uniting to Lamprotila, that the circles of the llalcyonidas 

 and Troyonutff are connected. 



Mr. Oould's splendid ' Monograph of the Trogonidra ' was finished 

 in 1838 ; and in the ' Introduction ' to that work ho observes, that 

 those birds, as their general structure and their habits sufficiently 



AT. BIST. DIV. VOL. IV. 



indicate, belong to the fissirostral tribe of the Imeisores. " Greatly 

 insectivorous," says Mr. Gould, " they seize the flitting insect on the 

 wing, which their wide gape enables them to do with facility ; while 

 their feeble tarsi and feet are such as to qualify them merely for 

 resting on the branches, as a post of observation whence to mark their 

 prey as it passes, and to which, having given chase, to return. As in 

 all other groups, however, we shall find modifications of the type 

 constituting the ground of generic or subgeueric divisions ... If not 

 strictly elegant in form, the Trogons in the brilliancy of their plumage 

 are surpassed only by the Trochilidie : their splendour amply com- 

 pensates for every other defect. Denizens of the intertropical regions 

 of the Old and New World, they shroud their glories in the deep 

 and gloomy recesses of the forest, avoiding the light of day and the 

 observation of man : dazzled by the brightness of the meridional sun, 

 morning and evening twilight is the season of their activity." 



The Trogons are described as solitary birds, extremely jealous of 

 their freedom, never frequenting inhabited or open tracts, and delight- 

 ing in the silence of deserts. " The interior of the thickest forests 

 is their chosen abode for the entire year. They are sometimes seen 

 on the summit of trees; but in general they prefer the centre, where 

 they remain a portion of the day without descending to the ground, 

 or even to the lower branches. Here they lie in ambush for the 

 insects which pass within reach, and seize them with address and 

 dexterity. Their flight is lively, short, vertical, and undulating. 

 Though they thus conceal themselves in the thick foliage, it is not 

 through distrust; for when they are in an open space, they may be 

 approached so nearly as to be struck with a stick. They are rarely 

 heard to utter any cries, except during the season of reproduction, 

 and then their voice is strong, sonorous, monotonous, and melancholy. 

 They have many cries, from the sound of one of which their name is 

 derived. AH those whose habits are known nestle in the hollows of 

 wormeaten trees, which they enlarge with their bills so as to form a 

 comfortable and roomy residence. The number of eggs is from two 

 to four, and the young are born totally naked, but their feathers 

 begin to start two or three days after their birth. The occupation of 

 the male during incubation consists in watching for the safety of his 

 companion, bringing her food, and amusing her with a song, which, 

 though we should call it insipid, is to her without doubt the expres- 

 sion of sensibility. Some of the Couroucous express the syllable ' pio,' 

 repeated many times in succession with a powerful yet plaintive tone. 

 Their accent almost reminds one of the wailings of a child who has 

 lost its way, and it is thus that they cry to each other amidst the 

 silence of the forests. As soon as the young are able to provide for 

 themselves, they separate from their parents to enjoy that solitude 

 and isolation which appear to constitute the supreme happiness of 

 the species. Their aliments are composed of larvae, small worms, 

 caterpillars, coleoptera, and berries, which they swallow entire. The 

 male, at various ages, the female, and the young differ in their plumage, 

 which has given rise to the institution of more species than are really 

 in existence." (Griffiths, 'Cuvier's Animal Kingdom.') 



With regard to the geographical distribution of the Trogons, Mr. 

 Gould says that they appear, on general survey, to be divided betweer, 

 America, including its islands, and the islands of the Indian Archi- 

 pelago ; two or three species only having yet been discovered on the 

 continent of India, and those principally inhabiting the countries 

 bordering the Indian Seas. The great nurseries for these birds in the 

 Old World are, he observes, the islands of Ceylon, Sumatra, Java, 

 Borneo, lie. ', while over the whole continent of Africa only a single 

 species has yet been discovered. " It is in South America however," 

 continues Mr. Gould, " that we find the greatest number of species, 

 and those of the most exquisite plumage : nor is this all ; for it will 

 be further observed that, in accordance with the great geographical 

 distribution thus pointed out, there exist certain characters common 

 to the species inhabiting each region, which, although not very apparent 

 to the unpractised eye, constitute the basis of generic subdivisions, 

 and doubtless have an influence upon their habits and manners." 



Previous to the commencement of Mr. Gould's monograph, the 

 number of described species amounted only to 22 : to these Mr. Gould 

 has added and characterised 12 others new to science, among which 

 are three additional species of the sub-genus Calurut, of which two 

 only were previously known, and those were confounded under one 

 name. The total number of species known when Mr. Gould finished 

 bis monograph was 34, 28 of which are inhabitants of America aud 

 its islands, 10 of the Indian Islands aud India, and one of Africa ; but 

 lie states in his preface that he has reason to believe that many will 

 yet be discovered, both in the Old and New World, particularly in 

 those remote regions which civilised man has seldom, if ever, visited. 



The remarkable plumage and shy habits of the Trogons did not 

 escape the observation of the ancient Mexicans, in whose mythology 

 one of the species at least (Troyon pavoninus) was celebrated. 

 Another species, the Tzinitzcan of the Mexicans, Trogon Curucui, 

 Linn., was employed by them, according to Hernandez (c. xliii.), in the 

 fabrication of the figures and pictures ('imagines') used on festivals, 

 [n war, and in their temples. They were probably kept in one of 

 the two houses which formed the Royal Menagerie of ancient Mexico, 

 one of these houses being appropriated to birds which did not live by 

 prey ; the other to birds of prey, quadrupeds, and reptiles. Three 

 hundred men, according to Cortes, were employed to take care of 



4 c 



