HARPACTES DIARDI .
D ia rd ’s Trog’on.
Trogon Diardii, Temm. PI. Col. 541.—Gould, Mon. Trog., pi. 30.
Harpactes Diardii, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 337.—Gould, Mon. Trog., syn. spec. gen. Harpactes, sp. 2.—
Gray & Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 71, Harpactes, sp. 6.—lid. List of Spec, of Birds in Coll. Brit.
Mus., p a rt ii. sect. i. p. 44 —My th, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 80.—Bonap. Consp.
Gen. Av., tom. i. p. 151, Harpactes, sp. 5.—Horsf. & Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus. East-Ind. Comp,
vol. ii. p. 716.
Trogon (Harpactes') Diardii, Gould, Mon. of Trog., List of Plates, no. 30.
Pyrotrogon Diardi, Cab. et Heine, Mus. Hein., Theil iv. p. 156.
T h is is one of the most magnificent of the Trogons inhabiting the Old World, and is distinguished from
all its congeners by the freckled markings of the outer tail-feathers—a character in which it assimilates to
some of the American members of the family.
The Harpactes Diardi must be a most conspicuous object among the leafy branches of the trees in the
parts of the Old World wherein it is destined to dwell. These are Malacca, where it was obtained by
Mr. Wallace; the island of Sumatra, specimens from whence, formerly in the collection of the Baron
Laugier, are now in the British Museum; and Borneo, where it appears to be very numerous—that is, if
we may conclude so from the many examples which are sent to Europe, either direct or by way of
Singapore. Some slight differences occur in the colouring of specimens from the various localities above
mentioned, but are not of sufficient importance to entitle them to be regarded as distinct. Some have
the crown of the head of a deep red, while the same part in others is reddish black; some have a faintly
indicated crescent of white separating the black of the throat from the scarlet of the abdomen, while m
others the black and scarlet meet abruptly. I at one time considered that the Malacca birds could be
at all times recognized by the lighter colouring of the upper part of the breast; but I have a specimen
from Borneo in which it is as apparent as in those from the Malayan peninsula.
The female, as will be seen on reference to the Plate, has the head and chest brown, in lieu of the deep
black colouring of the opposite sex, and freckles of brown and yellow on the shoulders and wing-coverts,
instead of black and white ; in other respects her colouring is very similar.
I am indebted to Mr. Wallace for a knowledge of the colouring of the soft parts of this species, the particulars
of which he kindly transmitted to me in a letter dated Singapore, September 30, 1854; unfortunately
he did not at the same time furnish me with any account of the bird’s habits and economy, which will
doubtless, when known, prove highly interesting.
The male has the crown of the head deep blood-red in some specimens, reddish black in others; throat
and chest black; on the nape a band of rose-pink; back and upper tail-eoverts dark sandy brown; wings
minutely barred with wavy lines of black and white; primaries black; breast and under surface carmme-red,
separated in some specimens from the black of the throat by an obscure crescent of white; two middle tail-
feathers rich chestnut-brown, with a bar of black at the tip, the next on each side black, the remainder
black at the base, and freckled for the remainder of their length with black and white; bill blue, with the
culmen and tips of the mandibles black; gape and orbits purplish violet.
The differences of the female have been pointed out above.
The Plate represents the two sexes, of the size of life. The plant is the Hoya coriacea.