TROGON, Tem. SCC. CURUCIJI.
Bill much shorter than the head, furnished with bristles at the base, broader than deep, serrated on the margins, curved at the point ; nostrils round, situated near the ori gin of the bill, and covered by the bristles ; tongue short, triangular, and pointed ; gape wide ; legs short, and cover ed with down. The serratures of the bill are net apparent in the young birds.
The appellation of Trogon was first suggested by Mcch ring, and that of Curucui is from the popular name Cof, rookoo, well known in Guiana, and expressive of the natu ral cry of the family. The plumage of the birds belonging to this genus is rich and varied, and usually more or less adorned with metallic lustre ; but their short neck and feet, and their long and broad tail, impart to them a heavy and shapeless aspect. Their multiplied, long, slender, and thickly webbed feathers, augment their apparent di mensions ; but they are so loosely affixed to the body as to be very easily detached, and the skin is so weak and tender, that it tears on the least degree of stretching. The curucuis are of very solitary dispositions, never fre quenting open or inhabited tracts of country, but delight ing in the silence of the desert, where tlicy even shun one another, and seek the recesses of the thickest forests, in which they reside throughout the year. They may some simes be seen on the tops of trees, but they more usually station themselves about the middle, without alighting on the ground, or even on the lower branches, and lying in ambush, during part of the day, for the insects which pass within their reach, and which they seize with much ad dress. Their flight is quick, short, vertical, and undulat ing. If they conceal themselves in the foliage, it should seem to be from no feeling of suspicion or distrust, for, when visible, one may approach very near them before they fly off, and may even knock them down with a stick. Except in the breeding season, they are rarely heard to cry, and their note is strong, sonorous, monotonous, and plaintive. They nestle in the holes of decayed trees, which they enlarge with their bill, so as to be able to turn freely round in the cavity. The female lays from two to four eggs, and has several hatches in the year. The male is very attentive to her wants during incubation, fetching her food, and soothing her by a plaintive warble, which, to human hearers, seems insipid, but to her has, no doubt, its charms. Vieillot says it may be expressed by the syl lable peoo, repeated several times in succession, with a strong and mournful accent, and reminding one of the whining of a strayed child. The young are produced quite naked, but acquire their feathers in the course of a few days. As soon as they can dispense with the atten tions of their parents, they disperse, and commence that insulated existence to which they are so decidedly partial.
Their food consists of the larv? of insects, beetles, &c. and berries, which they swallow whole. As the male at different periods of his age, the female and the young are variously attired, the species have been superfluously multiplied. After the preceding short sketch of their general habits, we shall particularize only one of the most conspicuous.
roseigaster, Vieil. Trogon curucui, Gmel. &c. Red bellied Curucui. Golden-green above, fulvous-red be neath ; throat black ; wing-coverts, and the three exterior tail feathers white, striped with black. Rather less than a magpie. Length ten inches and a half. The female is characterized by the prevalence of a slate-grey hue, which is lighter on the under parts. The plumage of this spe cies is said to vary very much. The sexes pair in April, and again in August or September. If there is no decayed dust already in the hole in which the eggs are to be depo sited, they procure a supply of the powder of the sand wood, which they prepare with their strong and powerful bill. At St. Domingo they are called Calecon Rouge, Demoiselle, Denzoiseau, Dame ..lnglaise, &c. They arc likewise found in Cayenne, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. All attempts to tame them have hitherto proved fruitless ; for they obstinately reject food till they expire.
Buceo, Gmel. &e. BAnnz-r.
Bill strong, pointed, laterally compressed, covered with strong bristles, or bearded at the base ; the apex emargi nated and incurved, gape reaching below the eyes ; nos trils covered with recumbent feathers, and the feet form ed for climbing. The birds of this family are all inhabi tants of Africa, and the warmer parts of Asia and America. Their head is very large ; and they are a stupid solitary race, mostly living in sequestered forests, and chiefly feed ing on insects.
B. tamatia, Gmel. &c. Tamatia maculata, Cuv. SPot tcd•bellied Barbet. Reddish-brown above, reddish-white and spotted with black beneath, throat fulvous, neck with a lunated collar, composed of black and rufous ; a black spot behind the eyes. Length six inches and a half. Na tive of Cayenne and Brazil. It is a clumsy heavy looking bird, and, in disposition, fond of retiscment, pensive, and silent, haunting those places which are remote from hu man habitations, particularly woods, where it fixes on some low branch well covered with foliage. On this it will perch for a long time together, with its huge head leaning on its shoulders ; and, as it is very little inclined to activity, it may be easily killed, for it will suffer itself to be repeatedly shot at without attempting to escape. Its principal food is insects, particularly beetles. The natives sometimes eat it, though its flesh is not very pala table.