MOT-MOTS AND MANAKINS. 99 



may be seen at a very short distance from each other. It is 

 a very pretty bird, grass oli\e-green above, the tail feathers 

 blue with black shafts and tips, the two central produced 

 into a long bare shaft with a broad blue racket, the terminal 

 half black. The crown is grass-green with a broad super- 

 cillery band commencing at the base of the nostril, first 

 silvery white, shading into silvery cobalt, the lores and ear 

 coverts black as well as the feathers below the eve, the latter 

 spangled with a few silvery blue spots. The undersurface is 

 olive yellowish-green, becoming grass-green on the fore neck 

 and breast. 



The centre of throat is black, forming a broad streak, 

 bordered by a band of elongated blue-silvery feathers, the 

 sides of the body, abdomen, undertail and wing-coverts 

 are ferruginious. Many species are known, all from America. 

 Thev are all coloured more or less alike. 



They belong to the order COCCYGES, sub-order Ani'so- 

 dactylœ, and family Momotidœ. They are characterized by 

 having a long, strong and thick bill, a little compressed, 

 laterally inflated at the point, and having the edges crenu- 

 lated. Their tongue is long, narrow, and barbed on the 

 edges, the wings are short, and their tails have always the 

 two central feathers two or three times longer than the 

 others. 



They are sometimes called Bobo, or Simpleton, by the 

 natives, because they are ^■e^y familiar, the presence of 

 man does not friMiten them, and are easilv caugrht. 

 They are about the size of a starling, and have strong 

 feet. The ^'g'g is round and pure white. 



Another species, Momotus Lessoni, is also found in 

 Nicaragua. It is slightly larger, but not so brilliantly col- 

 oured. Another beautiful bird, also abundant in Nicarag-ua, 

 was the Long-tailed Manakin, (Chiroxyphia linearis.) It is a 

 charming little creature, adorned with the most brilliant 

 colours, red, blue, and black, with two very long and narrow 

 central tail feathers. 



These beautiful birds belong to the Passeres, sub-order 

 Oli^omyodae, and family Pipridae. About 70 species 

 are known, all of them from America. Thev are about the 

 size of a canary, and have a very short bill, slender feet, 

 short wings and very short tails in general, but in the genus 

 Chiroxyphia all the species have two very long and narrow 

 central tail feathers, but this peculiarity exists only in the 

 males. It inhabits small woods, is very active, has a short 



