A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE 

 DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



Official Organ of the Audubon Societics 



Vol. VII May — June, 1905 No. 3 



The Motmots of our Mexican Camp 



By C. WILLIAM BEEBE 

 Curator of Ornithologfy, New York Zoological Park 



With photographs by the author 



NEXT to actually discovering a new and interesting fact of natural 

 history, comes the pleasure of verifying one of which we have read ; 

 and our first meeting with the Mexican Motmot {Momotus mexi- 

 canus) , and the observing of his peculiar habits, brought as sincere a thrill of 

 delight as if we had been the first to report them. 



It was a sultry day in late January in the mountains of west -central 

 Mexico when we first saw a live Motmot. Our camp was pitched near a 

 grove of magnificent wild fig trees bordering a stream in one of the great 

 gorges or barrancas which radiate from the majestic sister peaks ever loom- 

 ing over us, — one dead and hoary with snow, the other vital with earth - 

 fire, pouring forth smoke and ashes. 



Following the wise custom of most of the creatures of this tierra caliente, 

 we were taking a midday siesta in the shade of a flowering acacia. A 

 Black -throated Gray and a Pileolated Warbler were feeding fearlessly within 

 a few feet, snatching tiny insects from the sweet -pea-like blossoms. Every 

 green and golden feather on the body of the little Pileolated was unruffled, 

 and his tiny monk's cap shone in the sunlight like burnished jet. My 

 glance slipped past him and there, sitting motionless, was a Motmot. 



I had often wondered when I saw mounted specimens in museums with 

 what special immunity from danger these birds are blessed; their beautiful 

 coloring would seem to be such a startling advertisement of their where- 

 abouts. But in reality the very diversity in tint is their protection, and they 

 merge perfectly into the green foliage and bright sunlit spots. One's first 

 impression of a Motmot, as seen at a distance, is of a large-headed, brown 

 and greenish bird, with a broad bar of black on the head; but we were 

 fortunate enough to be able to study one of these birds in our very camp. 



A slightly injured bird soon recovered, and remained about the camp for 

 more than a week, retaining its full liberty, feeding upon scraps of meat or 



