TIE INTELLECTUAL OBSERVER. 



NOVEMBER, 1867. 



BARBETS, AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. 



BY P. L. SCLATER, M.A., PH.D., F.R.S., 



Secretary to the Zoological Society of London. 



(With a Coloured Plate.) 



In my notice of the Bell-bird and its allies,* I spoke of the 

 difficulties hitherto experienced in the introduction of living 

 representatives of the great fruit-eating families of birds of 

 the tropics into this country, which, however, we had recently 

 succeeded in overcoming in several instances. A case in point 

 is that of the Barbets — a tolerably numerous and well-defined 

 group of zygodactyle birds inhabiting the tropics of both 

 hemispheres, of which, as far as I am aware, no living example 

 had ever been imported into Europe prior to the arrival of the 

 specimen figured in the accompanying illustration. This bird, 

 although not by any means one of the largest or finest of the 

 1 ' Bucconidas," as the family to which it belongs is termed, is of 

 interest as representing a form hitherto unknown in our 

 aviaries, and as being endowed with special modifications of 

 structure to adapt it to a peculiar mode of life. First, there- 

 fore, I will state what is known of the life history of the 

 present species, and its immediate allies, Then I will endea- 

 vour to point out some of the principles which are exemplified 

 by the geographical distribution of the group to which it 

 belongs. 



The Blue-cheeked Barbet was first described by the veteran 

 ornithologist Latham in the latter end of the last century, 

 and provided with the not very specially appropriate name 

 Asiatica. Latham regarded it as a kind of Trogon, and, as 

 Trogons were in those da}^s supposed to belong to America 

 exclusively, called it the " Asiatic Trogon, Trogon Asiaticus. 3 * 

 This specific name, however, being the first given, we are 

 compelled, in compliance with the general usage of natural - 



* Inteli. Obs., vol. x , p. 401. 

 VOL. XII. — SO. IV. E 



