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HARPACTES RUTILUS. 



Malacca Trog-on. 



Harpactes rutilus, Gould, Mon. of Trogons, 2nd edit. pi. 





Enough has been said in my description of Harpactes Duwiiceli respecting my reasons for applying the 

 term rutilus as a distinctive appellation for this bird, which is a native of the Malayan Peninsula, and which, 

 so far as I am able to judge from an examination of a vast number of specimens, never has the fine scarlet 

 mark on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; independently of this difference, the present species is a larger 

 and more robust bird than the H. Duvauceli] it moreover has a thicker bill, and the whole of the upper 

 plumage much more dense. Specimens frequently occur in collections sent from Singapore, but which I 

 believe are generally made in Malacca ; at this moment I have several of both sexes before me which I am 

 sure are fully adult, and yet there is not the slightest trace of the scarlet on the rump of either of them ; 

 neither have I seen any indications of it in the specimens contained in the Collection at the British Museum, 

 nor in those in the Museum of the East India Company, and in those in the possession of T. C. Eyton, Esq., 

 and others. In a letter transmitted to me by A. R. Wallace, Esq., that gentleman says, " I think there are 

 four species of Trogons in Malacca; but as I only obtained males of two of them, I cannot be certain ; two 

 of them are of the average size, and the other two smaller. Of the smallest I have only a female in a bad 

 state of plumage ; I believe it is H. rutilus. The bill and the skin of the gape are deep cobalt-blue ; the 

 culmen broadly, and the margins narrowly bordered with black or horn-colour. The bare skin above the 

 eye is pale sky-blue ; the irides dark brown, and the feet dusky blue." The bird referred to by Mr. Wallace 

 is the bird here figured, and not the H. Dumuceli. 



The usual difference is observable in the colouring of the sexes, which are correctly represented on the 

 accompanying Plate, of the natural size. 



The male has the head and neck black; all the upper surface rich reddish cinnamon; wings black, the 

 coverts and secondaries crossed by numerous fine, irregular, wavy lines of white ; primaries margined 

 externally with white ; breast, all the under surface, and under tail-coverts fine rosy scarlet ; two centre 

 tail-feathers cinnamon-brown, slightly tipped with black ; the two next black; the three outer ones on each 

 side blackish brown, largely tipped with white ; bill and gape deep cobalt-blue ; the culmen broadly, and the 

 margins narrowly bordered with black or horn-colour; bare skin above the eye pale sky-blue; irides dark 

 brown ; feet dusky blue. 



The female has the head and throat reddish brown; upper surface as in the male, but darker; breast 

 cinnamon-brown ; abdomen and under tail-coverts very light cinnamon-brown, washed with a rosy hue ; 

 primaries and secondaries black, crossed by narrow ochreous bands ; two centre tail-feathers cinnamon- 

 brown, the remainder as in the male. 



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