THE MALA ISA II TROGON. 



127 



The very rare and curiously formed Cuba Trogon is a native of the country from which 



it derives its name 



According to Gould, it bears a singular resemblance to the woodpeckers, both in its habits 



and in the general formation of its plumage. Like those birds, it runs about the trunks and 



branches of trees, peers into the hollows, 

 and dislodges from under the bark the 

 insects on which it feeds. The most strik- 

 ing peculiarity in its form is the shape 

 of the tail-feathers, which have the web 

 extending beyond the shaft in such a 

 manner that they seem to have been 

 trimmed with scissors. The specific name 

 " temnwus" signifies "clipped wing," 

 and is given to the bird on account of this 

 remarkable formation. 



The back and upper tail-coverts of 

 the Cuba Trogon are bright grassy-green, 

 and the head and ear-coverts are steel- 

 blue. The wings are beautifully barred 

 with white, green, and black, and the tail 

 is blue-green in the centre, the feathers 

 being green with blue edges, those of the 

 exterior are white, and the rest barred 

 with white and green. The total length 

 of this bird is about eleven inches. 



The Coppery-tailed Trogon (Tro- 

 gon ambiguus) is the only species of this genus enumerated in 

 the list of the birds of North America. Its habitat is through- 

 out the warmer portions of Central America. 



The Malabar Trogon is a very local bird, and is thought 

 never to be seen in any locality except that from which it derives 

 its name. 



It is a somewhat nocturnal bird, and is so totally different 

 in its habits, according to the time of day, that it would hardly 

 be recognized for the same creature. During the day the Mala- 

 bar Trogons sit in pairs on the topmost branch of some tree, and 

 seldom stir from their post until evening. Sometimes they rouse 

 themselves sufficiently to pounce upon a passing insect, but 

 immediately return to the perch, and resume their position. But 

 when the dusk approaches, the Malabar Trogon shakes off its 

 drowsiness, and becomes one of the most spirited and active of 

 birds, flitting from branch to branch, and tree to tree, or traversing the boughs in search of 

 its prey, with wonderful adroitness, and almost meteoric rapidity. 



The head and neck of the adult male bird are deep sooty-black, and the back and upper 

 surface are brownish-yellow. A white crescent-shaped stripe runs round the chest, and sepa- 

 rates the black hue of the throat from the brilliant scarlet of the breast and remainder of the 

 under surface. The primary quill-feathers of the wings are black edged with white, and the 

 centre of the wings is pencilled with very delicate white lines on a blacker ground. The tail 

 is boldly marked with chestnut and black, and is decorated with white tips at the extremity 

 of the feathers. The bill and the space round the eyes are light blue. The female is easily 

 distinguished from her mate by the duller hue of her plumage, and the absence of the beauti- 

 ful scarlet which decorates the abdomen of the male bird. 



