bestow upon the spe- 

 cies a peculiar aspect. 

 These birds abound in 

 South America, where 

 they conceal them- 

 selves in the central 

 solitudes of umbrage- 

 ous forests, and, ex- 

 cept during the breed- 

 ing season, dwell insu- 

 lated and alone. They 

 will sit motionless for 

 half a summer's day, 



upon a withered branch, and, if not concealed 

 by some accidental intervening mass of foli- 

 age, they fall an easy prey to the keen-eyed 

 hunter, who eagerly searches for these bird 

 not less remarkable for the delicacy of their 

 flesh than their beauty of plumage. During the 

 morning and evening hours they become more 

 active, venturing at these times into the open 

 parts of the forest, and, taking a shady sta- 

 tion, dart upon winged insects, particularly 

 beetles. At other times they feed upon fruits, at which 

 they also invariably dart, precisely as if they were in- 

 sects capable of escaping. It has been remarked that 

 the skins of these birds are of so delicate a texture as 

 to be with difficulty preserved in a natural or complete 

 condition. It is probable that this is the cause why here 

 they assume a hes^vy, shapeless aspect, redeemed, it is 

 true, by the gorgeous colours and metallic splendour of 

 their plumage. The one our artist has above repre- 

 I sented is the most magnificent of its tribe, being one ot 

 ! which, in its natural state, no delineation nor description 

 I can convey an adequate idea. The greater proportion of 

 the plumage is apparently composed of burnished gold. 

 Tlie head, as will be perceived, is ornamented with a 

 brilliant crest of decomposed barbs, the -^-ing-coverts 

 falling in flakes of golden green over the deep purplish 

 black of the primary and secondary quill feathers; the 

 rich carmine of the lower parts presenting a warmth 

 and depth of effect which no Venetian painter ever 

 equalled, whilst the long waving of the tail, extending 



1 ^ ^1 J.1 ^ 1 i1 -r xl_ _ 1. _1 . V^J., nn-rr. 



