CHAPTER IX. 
The Picarian Birds,— concluded. 
Trogons to Oil-Birds. 
Families Trogonid+e to Stea tornitiiibje. 
Tiie trogons, remarkable for their brilliant coloration and soft plumage, 
constitute not only a distinct family ( Trogonidce ) but are likewise regarded as 
representing a special suborder (Heterodactyl i), mainly distinguished from the 
Picarian families described in the preceding chapters by the structure of the 
tendons of the foot. In these birds the second toe is turned backwards, and 
the third and fourth toes are moved by the splitting of one tendon, while a 
second tendon is likewise divided into two branches to supply the first and second 
toes. They are further characterised by having the palate of the slit (schizo- 
gnathous) type; and the feather-tract on the back is continuous in place of being 
forked. Then, again, we may notice that the hinder border of the breast-bone 
has four notches; the intestine is provided with a pair of blind appendages 
(ceeca); the oil-gland is naked, and the after-shafts of the feathers of the body 
are remarkable for their length. Behind the head is a patch of loose skin, and 
the whole skin is of such a fragile and delicate nature, while the feathers are so 
loosely attached, that the preservation of these birds tries to the utmost the skill 
of the taxidermist. As regards their geographical distribution, trogons are found 
in the Oriental region, Africa south of the Sahara, and Central and South 
America; one species alone ( Trogon ambiguus ) being stated to range as far 
north as Texas and Arizona. Very numerous in Central and South America, in 
Africa, though widely distributed, they are but poorly represented in species; but 
they again become more abundant in the Oriental region, although not ranging 
eastwards of the islands of Java and Borneo. Fossil trogons have been discovered 
in Tertiary deposits in Southern France, belonging to the upper part of the 
Oligocene period. Of the eight genera into which the family is divided, five 
occur in Central and South America (among these being the typical Trogon ); and 
it is noteworthy that the latter and one other genus are exclusively island forms, 
the one being confined to San Domingo and the other to Cuba. The three 
African trogons are comprised in a single genus (Hapaloderma) ; but there are 
two Oriental genera, one of which ( Hapalarpactes ) is peculiar to Java and 
Sumatra. 
Long-Tailed Of these magnificently-plumaged American representatives of the 
Trogons. family there are four species, among which we may specially notice 
