t r o g o j s t g -m m u c um -A ? (Viem.v
Sur-ucua T•r••o éon. ■ > ■ JKxlviiyCBUanuùuU.
TROGON SURUCURA, Vieill.
Surucua Trog’on.
S p e c if ic C h a r a c t e r .
Miis. Trog. vertice, cervice, pectoreque iridescenti-viridibus ; J ade gut tureque nigris ; dorso
saturate iridescenti-aurm vtridi in cceruleum ad uropygium vergente ; rectricibus intermediis
duabus ccerulescenti-virktibm, duabus proximis utrinque pogoniis externis ccerulescenti-viri-
j dibus internis nigris, fuiruw r»nnium apicibus nigris,. reliquie dimidio basalt nigro apicali
i albo ; remigibm HtgrescenfobriMiiets, albo ad pagania externa fimbriatis ; secundariis a tuque
suprà nigto tdhoqm lineokttm punciaiimtfue vari is ; abdominis medio tectricihusque candir
infer tortiti*# eoccinent.
Irides satamtè rufescenfci-brunneaì ; rostrum flavescenti-albidum ; pedes saturatè brunnei.
Foem. Fuliginosp-cinerea ; ventre imo caudceque tectricibus inferioribus coccineis ; alis brunnes-
centi-nigris, remigibus albo fimbriatis, secundariis plumisque cceterìs cinereo-albido Jasciatis;
rectricibus nigrescenti-bt unneis ; intermediis sex nigro apiculatis, reliquis albo fimbriatis nisi
basin versus pogoniorvm internarurt>.
Rostrum cinereo-al b k! u m
Male. Crown of the head» bark wf the oeek, nsui green and vwdtei; throat and
face black; back ¿wad ta^c*>verte dLesp changeable golden green, inclining to blue
on the ru«bp the tsvo middle tsuMWthera bluish green, the two next on each side with
their outer webs only biuiali green, the inner black, the whole six tipped with black; the
three outer leathers, on each side have their basal half black, the remainder white; primaries
blackish brown bordered with white on their exterior edges; secondaries and upper
part of the wing freckled with markings of black and white; centre of the abdomen and
under tail-coverts crimson scarlet; bill yellowish white; irides deep reddish brown; feet
dark brown.
Female. Whole of the head, neck, chest, back and rump sooty grey; lower part of the belly
and under taii-coverts scarlet; wings brownish black, primaries edged with white; the
secondaries and upper part of the wings transversely rayed with greyish white; six centre
tail-feathers blackish brown tipped with black, three outer feathers on each side blackish
brown margined on-¿-heir exterior edges and partly so on their inner ones with white; bill
greyish «bit*.
Wiegshv ■;;j ov -v'; I s &; tad, ; tarsi, I.
L e Surucua. Azara, Voy. dans lAmeriqw ioio iv. Ha. •. c lx x .
I —— — — Ibid.,Sanmiii’sTra*wh»*k*u **** H p.**.
Trogon Surucura. Vieill., LEt*cyeJ«p&ik Mt^tiodique, tom. 3. p. 1362.
; h a v e not the slightest hesitation in asserting this species o f Trogon to be the Surucua of Azara, from whose
elaborate work I am consequently induced to insert the following nearly literal translation.
After informing us that Surucua is the native name o f this bird in Paraguay, he proceeds to state that “ it
not common, and it does not qnit vise largest woods. It generally remains on the upper portions o f the
j[ -tiCs without descending to the lower branches or to the earth : it sits a long time motionless, watching for
its «pets which may pass within its reach, and which it eemik with adroitness; it is not gregario«-, but dwells
(lister in solitude or in pairs ; its flight, «vetch w rapid performed'in vertical undulations, is not prolonged.
*e birds are so tame as to admit o f a near approach ; I have seen them killed with a stick They do not
rate, and they are never heard except ia the k»vt- season; their note then consists hut of the frequent repe-
tltl »> of the syllables pio in a strong, sonorous and melancholy voice: the male and female answer each other.
'July form their nest on the trees by digging into the lower part of the nest o f a species of ant known by the
iiLL:- of cupiij, until they have made a cavity sufficiently large, in which the female deposits in the month of
S|c||fe«*ber two white eggs according to some, and four according to others. I have seen the male clinging
tl I -f'-e, after the manner of the Woodpeckers, occupied in digging a nest with his beak, while the female
iBl »med tranquil on a neighbouring tree.”
Alsura states that he has only seen this bird from Paraguay; I have, however, received it from the southern
irtj, of the Brazils, and a single specimen formed part of the fine collection made by Capt. P. P. King during
hh survey of die Straits of Magellan. Although I have not been able to ascertain from what precise locality
Cap . Kings specimen was procured, I am inclined to believe that it has a more extensive range than is generally
suspected.
P