THE TROGONS. 307 



largest woods, and that it " generally remains on the upper 

 portions of the trees, without descending to the lower branches 

 or to the earth ; it sits a long time motionless, watching for 

 insects which may pass within its reach, and which it seizes 

 with adroitness ; it is not gregarious, but dwells either in 

 solitude or in pairs ; its flight, which is rapid and performed 

 in vertical undulations, is not prolonged. These birds are so 

 tame as to admit of a near approach ; I have seen them killed 

 with a stick. They do not migrate, and are never heard 

 except in the breeding season ; their note then consists of the 

 frequent repetition of the syllables pee-o, in a strong, sonorous 

 and melancholy voice ; the male and female answer each 

 other. They form their nest on the trees, by digging into 

 the lower part of the nest of a species of ant, known by the 

 name of cupiy, until they have made a cavity sufficiently 

 large, in which the female deposits her eggs, of a white color, 

 and two, or as some assert, four in number. I have seen the 

 male clinging to a tree after the manner of woodpeckers, 

 occupied in digging a nest with its beak, while the female 

 remained tranquil on a neighboring tree." 



The American Trogons have their beak of moderate size, 

 with serrated (or saw-like) edges, and furnished at its base 

 with bristles ; the upper surface (of the males at least) is of a 

 rich metallic green, the under parts being more or less uni- 

 versally scarlet or rich yellow. The outer tail-feathers in the 

 majority of the species are more or less barred with black and 

 white. 



In the Indian Trogons the beak is larger and stouter, with 

 smooth edges, having a tooth near the tip of the upper man- 

 dible. The eyes are encircled by a large bare space of richly 

 colored skin ; the upper surface is brown, the lower more or 

 less scarlet, and the outer tail-feathers exhibit no tendency 

 towards a barred style of marking, excepting in one species, 

 Diard's Trogon, in which the three outer tail-feathers are 

 finely powdered with black. 



The African species (trogon narina), closely approximates 

 to its American relatives ; but its three outer tail-feathers are 



