PHAROMACRUS COSTARICENSIS. 25 



a uniform green, rather pale. I have seen one of them in the possession of 

 Mr. J. Zeledon ; he intended to send it to the Smithsonian Institution. 



Although I tried very hard to get some, offering a high price and also 

 searching for them, I could not succeed in obtaining any. 



The male sits on the eggs ; meanvv^hile the female goes out for food. The 

 position of the bird then is very curious : its head appears at the entrance of 

 the hole ; and the long feathers of its tail are spread over its head, and are 

 seen outside the nest. 



I have heard that sometimes the nests have two openings — one to 

 go in, and another to go out. But I do not believe it — first because it was 

 not told me by persons of any authority, and secondly because there is no 

 necessity for it. Besides, this bird could not dig a hole in the trunk of a tree 

 as Woodpeckers do ; and it would be very difficult for him to find a nest in 

 such conditions already made. But it is possible that now and then they 

 build their nests in the forks of trees, as other species of Trogons do. 



The young male at first does not differ from the female; but when 

 about one year old, green and red feathers appear at intervals on the breast 

 and on the belly. When one year and a half old it is quite a mixture of 

 green, grey, and red ; the underside of the tail also is black and white. At 

 two years he is exactly like the old male, except that the long feathers of the 

 tail are short. Every year after, these grow longer, until the tail reaches 

 from one yard to one yard and a quarter. 



I have collected over a hundred specimens of males ; and every one of 

 them, including some very fine adult birds, agrees in having a long and 



VOL. III. E 



