DISCOSTRA. TRUGOX. 429 



Uxtnilinutul Range. Cayenne (Gineliri), Brazil. 



Habits. Schomburgk states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 709) that he 

 only obtained one specimen of this beautiful Humming-bird 

 during his stay in British Guiana — and that was from Demerara, 

 near " Golden Hill." He found it hovering in front of a flowering 

 bush. According to the natives it is very rare. 



Order TROGONES. 

 Family TROGONID^. 



The Trogons are birds of medium size with soft and fluffy 

 plumage, which is very brightly coloured and highly ornamented 

 by their vertical crests, much developed upper wing-coverts and 

 upper tail-coverts, as well as the elongated tail-feathers in the 

 genus Pliaromaci'us. 



The bill is somewhat depressed, broad at the base, and hooked 

 at the tip, with a large number of rictai bristles at the base. 



The wings are rather short and rounded. The third, fourth, 

 fifth, and sixth feathers are the longest. The secondaries are 

 short in comparison with the length of the primaries. 



The tail is long and consists of twelve feathers, the lateral ones 

 being graduated. The legs are short and the feet are small j the 

 toes are four in number, two of which, the first and second, are 

 directed backwards — a character which is peculiar to the Trogons 

 alone. 



The family is com])osed of nine genera and about sixty species. 

 Tlieir distribution is in the tropical portions of Africa, Asia, 

 Central and South America. Two genera and twenty species 

 occur in South America, of which one genus and five species are 

 represented in British Guiana. 



Genus TROGON Linn. 



The males of this genus have bright metallic colours, but no 

 ornamental developments, while the I'emales have no metallic 

 colours. The bill is hooked at the tip and strongly serrated on 

 the cutting-edges of both mandibles ; the wings are short in pro- 

 j)ortion to the tail, which is rather long and rounded. 



NoTK. — Loddigiornis Bonap. (J()mj)t. Hend. Paris, xxx. p. 381, 

 April 1, Ib-V*, has priority over Loddi'jcsia Bonap. after November 

 liJoO, and must Ije accepted. 



