HARPACTES ARDENS.
liosy-breasted Trog'oii.
Trogon ardens, Temm. PI. Col. 404.—Gould, Mon. of Trog., pi. 35.
(Harpactes) ardens, Gould, Mon. of Trog., List of Plates.
Harpactes ardens, Gray, L ist of Spec, of Birds in Coll. Brit. Mus., p art iii. sec. i. p. 44.—Gray and Mitch. Gen. of
Birds, vol. i. p. 70, Harpactes sp. 7.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., tom. i. p. 151, Harpactes, sp. 7.—Cassin,
Unit. States Expl. Exp., Mamm. and Orn., 1858, p. 229.
Pyrotrogon ardens, Bonap. Consp. Vol. zygod. in Ateneo Italiano, no. 8, Maggio, 1854.
Harpactes rodiostemus, Peale, Zool. Unit. States Expl. Exp., Birds, 1st edit. 1848, p. 166.
S ince 1 8 3 8 , when I published the first edition of my ‘ Monograph of the Trogonidæ,’ wherein I stated that
my late friend M. Temminck’s figure of the female, published in his ‘ Planches coloriées des Oiseaux,’ was
taken from the then unique individual in Baron Laugier’s collection, and my own from a specimen of each
sex transmitted to the Zoological Society by H. Cuming, Esq., numerous examples of both sexes have
reached this country ; and 1 have also personally examined the specimens in the Museum at Washington,
which had been obtained by the United States Exploring Expedition in the Island of Mindanao—the locality
whence came Baron Laugier’s specimen.
The researches of the American naturalists enable me to give a more correct representation of this beautiful
bird than I could when my Monograph was published, since they have carefully noted the colouring of the
soft parts. The information respecting this species of Trogon is still, however, extremely meagre, the
following short note, transcribed from the ‘ Mammalogy and Ornithology of the United States Exploring
Expedition, 1858,’ being all that has been recorded Both Dr. Pickering and Mr. Peale mention the
occurrence of this fine species on the Island of Mindanao, one of the Philippines. The latter remarks,
‘ Our specimen was killed on the 31st of January, near Sambuanga, in the Island of Mindanao. It sits
crosswise on the small branches of trees and bushes, and is very active in taking insects on the wing. The
clear sunlight, at three o’clock in the afternoon, did not appear to incommode it, or others observed at the
same time.” ’
The male has the head, back of the aeck and ear-coverts dark blood-red, approaching to black on the
forehead and ear-coverts ; throat black ; back and upper tail-coverts cinnamon ; wing-coverts and secondaries
black, crossed with fine irregular lines of white ; primaries black, margined externally with white ;
two centre tail-feathers reddish chestnut, tipped with black ; the two next on each side wholly black ; the
three outer ones blackish brown at base, largely tipped with white ; the shafts and a series of tooth-like
markings on the inner webs blackish brown ; chest delicate rose-colour, the remainder of the undersurface
scarlet; “ bill bright yellow, the base green; ophthalmic region ultramarine blue; inside of the mouth
yellow ; feet olive-green ; the palms and claws yellow ; irides brown.”
The female has the crown of the head, cheeks, and upper surface dark cinnamon-brown ; throat
clouded with blackish brown ; breast and all the under surface light sandy brown, becoming of a yellower
hue on the under tail-coverts ; wing-coverts and secondaries blackish brown, crossed with lines of sandy
brown ; tail as in the male.
The Plate represents two sexes, of the size of life. The plant is the Hoya cinnamomifolia.