430 MR. O. SALVIN ON THE TAIL-FEATHERS OF MOMOTUS. [Apr. 1 , 



On this point I have evidence to bring forward which can hardly 

 leave a doubt that Waterton's account of the Motmot nibbling off the 

 vanes thus is substantially true. 



Some years ago (1860) this Society possessed a specimen of 

 Momotus subrufescens which lived in one of the large cages of 

 the parrot-house all by itself. I have a very distinct recollection 

 of the bird ; for I used every time I saw it to cheer it up a bit by 

 whistling such of its notes as I had picked up in the forests of 

 America. The bird always seemed to appreciate this attention ; for 

 though it never replied, it became at once animated, hopped about 

 the cage and swung its tail from side to side like the pendulum of a 

 clock. For a long time its tail had perfect spatules ; but towards 

 the end of its life I noticed that the median feathers were no longer 

 trimmed with such precision ; and on looking at its beak I noticed 

 that from some cause or other it did not close properly, but gaped 

 slightly at the tip, and had thus become unfitted for removing the 

 vanes of the feathers. Since the subject has been revived by Dr. 

 Murie, it occurred to me that Mr. Bartlett could hardly have failed 

 to watch this bird during its moults and whilst the tail-feathers 

 were growing. I accordingly wrote to him, and received the fol- 

 lowing reply : — 



" Zoological Society's Gardens, 



Regent's Park, London, N.W. 

 November 21, 1872. 



" Dear Sir, — During the several years the Motmot lived here I 

 had many opportunities of watching its habits ; and J have seen the 

 bird in the act of picking off the webs of the central feathers of its 

 tail, and have taken from the bottom of its cage the fragments of 

 web that fell from the bird's bill. As the bird lived here some years 

 its bill got rather out of order ; that is, it did not close properly 

 at the point ; and consequently the picking off the web at last was 

 imperfectly performed, and the two sides of the tail-feather presented 

 an unequal and unfinished appearance. 



"I noticed also that the Motmot frequently threw up castings 

 after the manner of the Kingfishers and other birds that swallow 

 indigestible substances. 



" Yours faithfully, 



"Osbert Sahin, Esq:' "A. D. Bartlett." 



"P.S. The species we. had alive was, I believe, Momotus subru- 

 fescens." 



The point is further elucidated by the examination of skins in our 

 collection. We have a number of specimens of various species in 

 which the central tail-feathers were growing when the birds were shot. 

 The drawings now exhibited show some of them. Figure 1 (p. 431) 

 represents the tail of a young Momotus lessoni in its first plumage : 

 the central tail-feathers are here untouched ; they merely show the 

 reduction in the breadth of the web in the part which is subsequently 

 denuded ; of this more anon. Figure 2 shows the growing feathers of 

 the tail of a specimen of Momotus mexicanus ; in this a few vanes have 



