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HARPACTES ARDENS. 



Rosy-breasted Trog-on. 



Trogon ardens, Temra. PL Col. 404.— Gould, Mon. of Trog., pi. 35. 



(Harpactes) ardens, Gould, Mon. of Trog., List of Plates 



Harpactes ardens Gray, List of Spec, of Birds in Coll. Brit. Mus., part iii. sec. i. p. 44.-Gray and Mitch Gen of 



Birds V ol. x. p. 70, Harpactes sp. 7.-Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., torn. i. p. 151, Harpactes, sp. 7.-Cassin, 



Unit. States Expl. Exp., Mamm. and Orn., 1858, p. 229. 

 Pyrotrogon ardens, Bonap. Consp. Vol. zygod. in Ateneo Italiano, no. 8, Maggio, 1854. 

 Harpactes rodiostemus, Peale, Zool. Unit. States Expl. Exp., Birds, 1st edit. 1848, p. 166. 



Since 1838, when I published the first edition of my < Monograph of the Trogonida^,' wherein I stated that 

 my late friend M. Temminck's figure of the female, published in his 'Planches coloriees des Oiseaux,' was 

 taken from the then unique individual in Baron Laugier's collection, and my own from a specimen of each 

 sex transmitted to the Zoological Society by H. Cuming, Esq., numerous examples of both sexes have 

 reached this country ; and I have also personally examined the specimens in the Museum at Washington, 

 which had been obtained by the United States Exploring Expedition in the Island of Mindanao -the locality 

 whence came Baron Laugier's specimen. 



The researches of the American naturalists enable me to give a more correct representation of this beautiful 

 bird than I could when my Monograph was published, since they have carefully noted the colouring of the 

 soft parts. The information respecting this species of Trogon is still, however, extremely meagre, the 

 following short note, transcribed from the < Mammalogy and Ornithology of the United States Exploring 

 Expedition, 1858,' being all that has been recorded :— " Both Dr. Pickering and Mr. Peale mention the 

 occurrence of this fine species on the Island of Mindanao, one of the Philippines. The latter remarks, 

 « Our specimen was killed on the 31st of January, near Sambuanga, in the Island of Mindanao. It sits 

 crosswise on the small branches of trees and bushes, and is very active in taking insects on the wing. The 

 clear sunlight, at three o'clock in the afternoon, did not appear to incommode it, or others observed at the 

 same time.' " 



The male has the head, back of the neck and ear-coverts dark blood-red, approaching to black on the 

 forehead arid ear-coverts ; throat black ; back and upper tail-coverts cinnamon ; wing-coverts and secon- 

 daries black, crossed with fine irregular lines of white ; primaries black, margined externally with white ; 

 two centre tail-feathers reddish chestnut, tipped with black ; the two next on each side wholly black ; the 

 three outer ones blackish brown at base, largely tipped with white ; the shafts and a series of tooth-like 

 markings on the inner webs blackish brown ; chest delicate rose-colour, the remainder of the undersurface 

 scarlet ; " bill bright yellow, the base green ; ophthalmic region ultramarine blue ; inside of the mouth 

 yellow ; feet olive-green ; the palms and claws yellow ; irides brown." 



The female has the crown of the head, cheeks, and upper surface dark cinnamon-brown ; throat 

 clouded with blackish brown ; breast and all the under surface light sandy brown, becoming of a yellower 

 hue on the under tail-coverts ; wing-coverts and secondaries blackish brown, crossed with lines of sandy 

 brown ; tail as in the male. 



The Plate represents two sexes, of the size of life. The plant is the Hoya cinnamomifolia. 



