132 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



THE MONTEZUMA QUETZAL, 



By Harry H. Dunn. 



Explorers, cutting away the tangled vines which overrun the ruins of 

 Mexico's dead past, are surprised to come upon whole blocks of stone, 

 many feet in each dimension and containing nothing but carvings of 

 beautiful long-tailed birds in every conceivable position. Hundreds 

 upon hundreds of years ago, the race of beings who hewed these 

 massive slabs and raised these stupendous temples, laid down their 

 instruments for their last long sleep; but today a shimmering, 

 azure-tinted bird calls from the Mexican tops "Teu, Teu" and his 

 voice rings with the same bell-like sweetness as in the olden days 

 above Montezuma's festal halls. Little does he know or care that his 

 form is perpetuated in imperishable stone from Mexico to Peru and 

 from the Caribbean to the white surges of the Pacific. Buried under 

 the accumulated vegetation of the years, his image rests, mute 

 mockery to the hopes of a race, while above he, himself, the 

 imperishable, whistles away the happy hours. 



Little does he care that his ancestors furnished the royal coats for 

 the lordly Incas or that today these same coats are scattered in the 

 museums of the world, things of priceless value. The Mexicans, 

 believing that the spirit of some long-dead monarch is resident in one 

 of these, refuse to kill them, and the birds seem almost to know of 

 their immunity, for, while they avoid white travelers, they show little 

 or no anxiety concerning the presence of natives. 



The bird really belongs to the trogon family and is a relative to the 

 Kingfisher, Woodpeckers, Rollers, etc., yet is in a way quite different 

 from any of these. It is more beautiful than any humming bird, and 

 is, of course, much larger, the male bird being usually about four feet 

 in length, the female considerably less. The color of the male bird is 

 a rich golden green above, including a graceful rounded crest, which 

 may be raised and lowered at pleasure. The long, soft plumes of this 

 head-dress fall like a shower of golden sunbeams over the neck, 

 shoulders and back of the bird, finally merging into the bronze-blue of 

 the lower back and tail. The plumes of the latter are usually about 

 three feet in length, and are black, barred and shaded with white. The 

 short strong feathers of the tail proper underly these plumes and are 

 quite plain, seeming to serve no purpose other than that of supporters 

 for this wonderful train. It was these plumes which were so valued 

 by the ancient Incas and Montezumas for their royal robes. No one 

 but immediate members of the King's family were permitted to wear 

 even the lesser feathers of the bird, the noble plumes being reserved 



