T R O G O N Mexicanus, 

 Mexican Trogon. female. 



Tribe Fissirostris. Family Trogonidae. See North Zool. 2, p. 326. 



Generic Characters. 



Body thick. Bill very short, strong, thick, nearly triangular, but 

 the sides compressed, surrounded by long, stiff", bristly feathers, 

 the culmen arched from the base. Wings very convex, the 

 quills graduated ; tail very broad, feet short, weak, gressorial. 



Sub-Genera. 



1 . Bill with several unequal serratures on the 



margin of the upper mandible : head not 

 crested, tail even, tarsi feathered to the 

 base of the toes; anterior toes united to 

 half their length. America. Trogon. Auct. 



2. Bill serrated; head with an erect compressed 



crest; tail very long, cuneated. America. Calurus. Sic. 



3. Bill entire. Inhabits tropical Asia. Harpactes. Sic 



4. Bill with obscure serratures : tarsi naked, 



covered with scales ; the two anterior toes 

 divided nearly to their base. (Type, 

 Trogon Narina). Africa. Apaloderma. Sic. 



Specific Character. 



Female. Breast and upper plumage olive brown ; body and under 

 tail covers crimson ; front, chin, and ears grey ; wing covers 

 lineated with undulate dusky lines; tico middle tail feathers 

 ferruginous brown, icith black tips. 



We have already given the general reader some account of 

 the manners of these very singular birds, and we have said 

 more upon them in North. Zool. Vol 2. Having figured 

 the male on our 82nd plate, we now exhibit, in the female, 

 that remarkable difference between the sexes, which per- 

 vades all the species. Our figure and specific character 

 renders a detailed description of the plumage unnecessary ; 

 it should be observed, Jiowever, that the lateral tail feathers, 

 in the female, are without those two black transverse bands 

 on the inner web, towards the tip, which are so conspicu- 

 ous in the male. There is another species from Mexico, 

 which country seems to be the most northern range of these 

 birds. We feel gratified at being able to characterize four 

 typical forms of the genus ; all of which, at the same time, 

 are marked by geographic peculiarities. 



107. 



