TROGON TENELLUS, Cabanis. 
m 
Graceful Trog*on. 
Specific Character. 
Trofj. splendide aurato-viridis, capite et jugulo vix saturatioribus; fronte angustd, loris et facie 
laterali cum gutture toto nigris; fascia pectorali alba vix distinctd; corpore reliquo subtiis 
late aurantiaco-flavo; ala, nigra, primariis anguste albo limbatis; tectricibus alarum minimis 
dorso concoloribus, reliquis et secundariis extus albido transversim vermiculatis; rectricibus 
duabus mediis cuprescenti-aureis nigro terminatis, duabus proximis nigris extus cuprescenti- 
aureis, reliquis versus basin pogonii interni nigris, albo late terminatis et albo late fasciatis. 
Rostrum flavum, versus basin virescens. 
Adult Male. —Above metallic green, richer on the head, upper breast, rump, and upper tail- 
coverts, and having a slightly golden appearance on the back and sides of the breast; 
a narrow frontal line, lores, sides of the face, and throat black ; least wing-coverts green, 
like the back, the remainder coarsely vermiculated with greyish white and black lines, 
as also are the secondaries ; all the rest of the coverts and quills black, the primaries 
narrowly edged with white externally ; centre tail-feathers of a burnished copper-colour, 
with a terminal band of black, the next two black on the inner well and at the tip and 
coppery on the outer web only; three outer tail-feathers broadly tipped with white and 
banded with black and white, the bases of the inner webs black, gradually increasing in 
extent towards the centre of the tail; under surface of body beautiful orange-yellow, paler 
and whiter near the green of the breast, forming a very indistinct pectoral band. 
Total length 9^ inches ; wing 4|; tail 6 ; tarsus §. 
Trogon tenellus, Cab. J. f. O. 1862, p. 173. 
- atricollis, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 364.—Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 83. 
I believe this species to be distinct from Trogon atricollis, though undoubtedly very closely allied. It is a 
smaller bird, and is to be further distinguished by the more distinct white barring of the tail-feathers, the 
white bars being rather wider than the alternate black ones. 
“This race of Trogon atricollis was first characterized by Dr. Cabanis in the ‘ Journal fiir Ornithologie’ 
for 1862, from a single example of a young male included in the collection formed in Costa Rica by Drs. 
Hoffmann, von Frantzius, and Ellendorf, which first made us acquainted with the ornithological riches of 
that, up to that time, unexplored country. Since this first specimen was obtained numerous others have 
been sent from Costa Rica, where it would appear to be by no means rare in certain districts. Other 
localities, mentioned in Mr. Lawrence’s list of Costa-Rica birds, published in the * Annals of the Lyceum of 
New York’ in 1868, are Guiatil, Barranca, Angostura and Pacuare. 
“ Costa Rica, however, is not the most northern point of the range of this bird ; for Mr. Belt, the author 
of the interesting book * The Naturalist in Nicaragua,’ found it during his stay at the mines of Chontales. 
“ Writing of it and of T. caligatus, he says (p. 122):—‘ Both species take short, quick, jerky flights, and 
are often met with along with flocks of other birds—Flycatchers, Tanagers, Creepers, Woodpeckers, &c., 
that hunt together, traversing the forests in flocks of hundreds belonging to more than a score of 
different species.The Flycatchers and Trogons sit on branches and fly after the larger insects, the 
Flycatchers taking them on the wing, the Trogons from the leaves on which they have settled. In the 
breeding-season the Trogons are continually calling out to each other, and are thus easily discovered. 
They are called “ viadas ” (that is, “ widows ”) by the Spanish.’ ” 
