THE RESPLENDENT TROGON. 



( Pharo7)iacrus mocinno. ) 



The Trogon family consists of eight 

 genera, five of which are found only 

 in Central and South America and in the 

 West Indies ; one is confined to Africa 

 and two to the islands of Java and Su- 

 matra. This family is notable for the 

 brilliancy and softness of the plumage, 

 and there are few birds which will excite 

 as much admiration as does the Resplen- 

 dent Trogon. 



The skin is so singularly thin that it 

 has been not inaptly compared to wet 

 blotting paper, and the plumage has so 

 light a hold upon the skin that when the 

 bird is shot the feathers are plentifully 

 struck from their sockets by its fall and 

 the blows which it receives from the 

 branches as it comes to the ground. 



Its eggs, of a pale bluish-green, were 

 first procured by Mr. Robert Owen. Its 

 chief home is in the^ mountains near Co- 

 ban in Vera Paz, but it also inhabits for- 

 ests in other parts of Guatemala at an 

 elevation of from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. 



From Mr. Salvin's account of his 

 shooting in Vera Paz we extract the fol- 

 lowing hunting story: 



*'My companions are ahead and Filipe 

 comes back to say that they have heard 

 a Quesal (Resplendent Trogon). Of 

 course, being anxious to watch as well as 

 to shoot one of these birds myself, I im- 

 mediately hurry to the spot. I have not 

 to wait long. A distant clattering noise 

 indicates that the bird is on the wing. 

 He settles — a splendid male — on the 

 bough of a tree not seventy yards from 

 where we are hidden. He sits almost mo- 

 tionless on his perch, the body remaining 

 in the same position, the head only mov- 

 ing from side to side. The tail does not 

 hang quite perpendicularly, the angle be- 

 tween the true tail and the vertical being 

 perhaps as much as fifteen or twenty de- 

 grees. The tail is occasionally jerked 

 open and closed again, and now and then 

 slightly raised, causing the long tail cov- 

 erts to vibrate gracefully. I have not 

 seen all. A ripe fruit catches the Quesal's 



eye and he darts from his perch, plucks 

 the berry, and returns to his former po- 

 sition. This is done with a degree of 

 elegance that defies description. A low 

 whistle from Capriano calls the bird near, 

 and a moment afterward it is in my hand 

 — the first Quesal I have seen and shot." 



Our illustration shows the gorgeous 

 coloring of the male's plumage. The 

 plumage of his mate is much plainer. 

 Her breast is brownish and her bill is 

 black instead of yellow. Her head is 

 golden green, and the outer feathers of 

 her tail are white with very regular bars 

 of black. She does not possess the two 

 elongated plumes of the upper tail cov- 

 erts. The unlined nest of the Trogons 

 may be found in cavities of trees. 



The cries of the Trogon are various. 

 They consist principally of a low note, 

 mhe-oo, whe-00, which the bird repeats, 

 whistling it softly at first, then gradually 

 swelling it into a loud and not unmelod- 

 ious cry. This is often succeeded by a 

 long note, which begins low and after 

 swelling dies away as it began. Other 

 cries are harsh and discordant. The 

 flight of the Trogon is rapid and straight. 

 The long tail feathers, which never seem 

 to be in the way, stream after it. The 

 bird is never found except in forests of 

 the loftiest trees, the lower branches of 

 which, being high above the ground, 

 seem to be its favorite resort. Its food 

 consists principally of fruit, but occa- 

 sionally a caterpillar is found in its 

 stomach. The food of the Trogons, 

 whether it consists of caterpillars, fruit 

 or flying insects, is usually taken while 

 flying. 



All the Trogons are birds of moder- 

 ate size, the smallest species being but 

 little larger than a thrush, and the largest 

 is hardly the size of a crow. In some of 

 the American species of Trogons the 

 plumage of the female birds is nearly as 

 beautiful as that of the males. In other 

 species, however, the females are dressed 



