Mountain Trogon.
Trogon oreskios, Temm. PI. Col. 181—Id. Gen. Courouc., sp. 8.—Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xiv.
p a rt 1, p. 220.—Less. TraitS d’Om., p. 121.—Gould, Mon. Trog., pi. 36.
Harpactes Gouldii, Swains. Class, of Birds, vol. ii. p. 337.
— oreskios, Gould, Mon. Trog., syn. spec. Harpactes, sp. 8.—Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 71,
Harpactes, sp. 8 lid. List, of Spec, of Birds in Coll. Brit. Mus., p art ii. sect. i. p. 45.—Blyth, Cat. of
Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 80.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., tom. i. p. 151, Harpactes,
sp. 8.—Horsf. and Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus. East-Ind. Comp., vol. ii. p. 716.
Trogon (Harpactes) oreskios, Gould, Mon. Trog., L ist of Plates, no. 36.
Oreskios Gouldi, Bonap. Consp., vol. Zygod. p. 14, gen. 5 d. 41.
Orescius Gouldi, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein., Theil iv. p. 161.
It is somewhat singular that neither Sir Stamford Raffles nor Dr. Horsfield has furnished us with any
particulars respecting this .species of Trogon, since it is an inhabitant of the island of Java, to which the
researches of both those departed gentlemen were principally directed. I believe that the East-India
Museum, which is so rich in many other birds from that island, does not contain a single example of the
present one. That it is tolerably common there, is certain ; for a large number of skins have been from time
to time transmitted thence to Europe ; and at the present moment I have four very fine skins from that island
lying before me, and it is from these that my figures in the accompanying Plate have been taken. I mention
this because Mr. Blyth, in a note to me, says the specimens of “ H. oreskios in Mr. Wallace’s collection
from Java are distinct from the Burmah specimens figured in your Monograph of the Trogonidæ ” ; 1 think,
however, that Mr. Blyth must in this instance be mistaken ; for if a comparison be instituted between the
figures alluded to and those in the opposite Plate, it will be seen that they do not differ. Java is certainly
' the country of the bird here represented : if the bird from the Malayan peninsula should, after a careful
comparison, prove to be sufficiently different to warrant its being considered specifically distinct, a figure
of it will be found in the present work.
The jHarpactes oreskios differs from all its congeners in the absence of any naked skin round the eyes ;
it is also markedly different in its colouring, orange taking the place of scarlet in the other members of the
genus, particularly on the breast and under surface. On the whole it is a richly coloured bird, and must
be very beautiful in a state of nature ; but with the departure of life the glory of its plumage disappears,
never again to be seen in dried skins.
The sexes offer the usual differences, the female being less brilliant, and having the wings barred with
yellow and brown instead of black and white.
When treating of this species in the ‘ Planches Coloriées,’ Temminck states that science is indebted to
MM. Diard and Reinivardt for the first knowledge of its existence; and Kuhl informs us that it inhabits
woods and mountains, and subsists on insects.
The male has the crown of the head, throat, and chest greenish yellow ; back and upper tail-coverts rich
deep chestnut ; wings black, their centres rayed with strong bars of white ; primaries margined externally
with white; two centre tail-feathers rich deep chestnut, crossed at the tip with a narrow band of black,
the two next on each side black ; three outer feathers black at the base and white at the tip ; breast and
flanks rich orange, becomiug paler on the belly and vent ; thighs black ; bill black at the tip, yellow at the
base ; legs and feet flesh-colour.
The female has the head, chest, and all the upper surface dull brown, becoming richer on the lower part
of the back and the two middle tail-feathers; the transverse marks on the centre of the wings yellow instead
of white and the under surface yellow, inclining to orange only on the flanks.
The figures represent the two sexes, of the size of life. The plant is the Hmja ( Olostemma) lacumsa.