Trogonid^. BIRDS. The Resplendent Trogon. 295 
the tropical parte of South America, is about the size 
of our common blackbird ; its general colour is green, 
but the face, and a spot in the middle of the breast, are 
black, and the head is blue. 
Little is known of the habits of these birds, as they 
are solitary in their disposition, residing, usually in 
pairs, in the deepest recesses of the forests. They 
feed principally upon insects, which they capture by 
pouncing down upon them suddenl 3 ^ Besides insects, 
however, they are said occasionally to devour small 
snakes and lizards, and even small birds, and some- 
times to feed upon fruits. . They are said by some 
writers to nestle in the holes of trees, by others to bur- 
row in the ground ; if the latter he true, the barbs of 
the long tail feathers might possibly be worn away by 
friction against the sides of their narrow tunnel. 
Family IV.— TEOGONID.E. 
The Trogonidse, or Couroucous, as they are some- 
times called, from the name given by the natives of 
South America to some of the species inhabiting that 
continent, and which is said to be an exact imitation 
of their cry, are distinguished from the preceding 
families, by having the toes of unequal length, and 
arranged, as in the scansorial birds, in two pairs. 
They have a stout bill, broader than high, so that it 
presents a triangular form when seen from above ; the 
edges of the mandibles are sometimes strongly serrated, 
sometimes smooth nearly to the tip, and there furnished 
with a single tooth. 
The Trogonidse are all inhabitants of tropical 
regions, and the majority of them belong to the Nerv 
World, although several species, distinguished by 
peculiaT characters, are found in India and the Eastern 
islands. One species, also, scarcely distinguishable 
generically from the American forms, is an inhabitant 
of Southern Africa. They are usually adorned with 
brilliant metallic colours, inhabit the tliickest parts 
of the forests, and feed principally upon insects, which 
they frequently capture on the wing. Some of the 
species also eat fruits. 
THE COUROUCOU {Trogon Curucui), an abundant 
species in Guiana and Brazil, measures ten or eleven 
inches in length, and is generally of a fine brilliant 
green colour, with the breast and belly of a beautiful 
red ; the wing-coverts are bluish-grey, marked with 
undulated black lines ; the tail, which is wedge-shaped, 
is green, except the two outer feathers on each side, 
which are blackish, crossed with small grey transverse 
lines. 
The name of this bird is derived, as previously 
indicated, from its peculiar melancholy note, which is 
described by different authors as resembling the word 
couroucouais so exactly, that, whilst the natives of 
Brazil give it this name, the Indians of Guiana merely 
drop the c, and call the bird Ouroiicouais. The 
Couroucou is found in the deepest recesses of the 
forests, especially' at the breeding season, when the 
male employs the above-mentioned melancholy note to 
express his feelings towards his mate. In April, 
when the breeding season commences, the birds seek 
out a suitable hole in i tree, which they adapt to their 
purpose, by means of their bills, lining the bottom of 
the cavity with the powdered rotten wood which they 
disengage from the sides. Upon the bed thus formed, 
the female lays three or four eggs about the size of 
those of a pigeon. Whilst the female is sitting, the 
male perches on a branch close at hand, and con- 
tinually emits his tender cooing notes. At other 
times the male is silent, and both sexes frequently 
perch for a long time, perfectly motionless upon a 
branch, and puff out the long loose feathefs with 
which theirdoodies are clothed to such an extent, that 
while their bulk is scarcely greater than that of a 
thrush, they look as large as a pigeon. They feed 
upon worms, insects, and caterpillars. 
THE CUBA TRO&ON {Trogon temnui-us), which is 
of about the sam*e size as the preceding species, has 
the crown of the head of a violet-blue colour, the upper 
surface of the body brilliant metallic-green, the throat 
and breast greyish-white, and the belly Vermillion. 
The scapulars and the great coverts of the wings are 
green, with a white spot near the extremity of each 
feather ; the quill feathers of the wings are black, 
adorned with white spots, and those of the tail green 
or blue, spotted with white. This bird is chiefly 
remarkable for the peculiar form of the tail, each 
feather of which is truncated at the extremity, with its 
exterior angle produced outwards, so that, as the 
general form of the tail is, or rather would be, wedge- 
shaped, its whole apical half is surrounded by a series 
of points. It is a beautiful species, which has only 
hitherto been found in Cuba, where it is very common 
in the woods. Its note, which is heard in the morning 
and evening, is described as resembling the syllables 
tocorr. This species is said to feed upon vegetable 
substances. It sits in a veiy passive state upon the 
branches, so that it is easily killed; and great numbers 
are destroyed for the table, their flesh being very good. 
THE KESPLENDENT TROGON {Trogon resplen dens) 
— Plate 7, fig. 20 — which has been placed by many 
authors with several nearly allied species in a distinct 
genus, to which the name of Calurus is given, is 
distinguished from the preceding species, partly by 
the presence of a large crest of delicate feathers on the 
head, and partly by the great development of the 
upper tail-coverts, which conceal the tall, and hang 
down in the form of long delicate plumes of great 
elegance. 
The male of this Trogon is one of the most magni- 
ficent of birds. The head and throat are of a golden 
bronze colour ; the neck and breast, the back, and the 
wing and tail-coverts, are of the most brilliant golden 
green ; the wings themselves are black, or blackish, 
setting oft' the splendour of the wing-coverts in the 
most striking manner ; whilst the whole of the belly 
and the lower tail-coverts are of a beautiful crimson 
tint. The feathers of the tail are black. Of the 
elongated tail-coverts, the two middle ones are the 
longest, but the whole are most delicate and beautiful, 
being composed of long loose barbs, gradually dimin- 
ishing to the apex of the feather, and hanging in the 
most gi'aceful manner. The species is found in Brazil 
and Peru, where it is employed by the natives as an 
ornament ; the Peruvian ladies being especially fond 
