TROGON BAIRDI. 
Baird’s Trog*on. 
Specific Character. 
Trog. purpurascenti-cyanescens, vix aurato-viridi nitens; pileo et collo postico purpurascentibus; 
facie laterali et guld nigris; pectore antico nigro purpurascenti-nitente; corpore reliquo 
subtus scarlatino; alts omnino nigris , tectricibus alarum tantum minoribus dorso con- 
color ibus; caudd cyanescenti-viridi, nigro terminatd, rectricibus intermediis intiis nigri- 
cantibus, exterioribus tribus basaliter nigris, versus apicem gradatim albis. 
Foem. Schistaceo-nigra, alls cauddque paullo obscurioribus et extus, nisi in rectricibus 
quatuor mediis, albo transfasciatis; ventre et crisso coccineis (Salvin). 
Adult male. —Above bluish green, with a beautiful shade of purple, especially on the 
rump, which is somewhat tinged with bronze also ; head and hind neck purple ; 
wings entirely black, excepting the least wing-coverts, which are shining green like 
the back; the three centre tail-feathers on each side bluish green, tipped with black, 
the two middle rectrices entirely green, but the next two blackish on the inner web, 
the three outer tail-feathers black, inclining to white at the tips, this colour gradually 
increasing on the outer feathers; lores, ear-coverts, sides of face, and throat black ; 
the fore neck black, with a few metallic purple feathers ; rest of under surface of 
body bright scarlet; the inner lining of the wing greyish black, the interior wing- 
coverts and the base of the inner web of the quills whitish. 
Total length 11 inches; culmen 1*0; wing ; tail 6§. 
Female. —Slaty black; the wings and tail rather darker, and, excepting on the four centre 
feathers, barred across with white ; belly and vent crimson. 
Trogon bairdi. Lawrence, Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 119. — Salv. Ibis, 1869, p. 316. — Id. 
P. Z. S. 1870, p. 202.—Scl. & Salv. Nomencl. Av. Neotr. p. 104. 
I must congratulate Mr. Lawrence, not only on the good fortune which has placed in his hands such a 
beautiful species as the present, but also for the happy selection of his specific title, whereby is perpetuated 
the name of a scientific man who deserves well of his country. 
I regret that we know nothing of the habits of this splendid Trogon; but there is doubtless no difference 
in this respect from other members of the group. At present it has only been found in Costa Rica and 
Veragua. 
“The Trogon bairdi ,” writes Mr. Salvin, “is one of the remarkable additions which have been made to 
the birds of Central America during the last few years. Up to the year 1861-62 few districts in America 
were less known ornithologically than Costa Rica; but since that time so numerous are the collections that 
have been made that our knowledge of the riches of that country may now be said to approach completion. 
In the year 1868 Mr. Lawrence compiled a list of the birds of Costa Rica, based chiefly upon the 
specimens sent to the Smithsonian Institution by various collectors. Amongst the skins were two male 
specimens of this fine bird, which Mr. Lawrence named in honour of Prof. Spencer F. Baird, the well- 
known ornithologist, who has so many years held the important post of Assistant Secretary to the Smith¬ 
sonian Institution.” 
Mr. Lawrence, in his remarks on this species, states that its nearest ally is T. melanocephalus ; but on 
this point I venture to differ from him, as the bird now under consideration belongs to a somewhat 
different group of the genus, and in fact only differs from T. chionurus of the Isthmus of Panama in 
