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HARPACTES RUTILUS.

Malacca Trogon.

Harpactes rutilus, Gould, Mon. of Trogons, 2nd edit. pl.

 

Enoven has been said in my description of Harpactes Duvauceli respecting my reasons for applying the
term ruti/us as a distinctive appellation for this bird, which is a native of the Malayan Peninsula, and which,
so far as I am able to judge from an examination of a vast number of specimens, never has the fine scarlet
mark on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; independently of this difference, the present species is a larger
and more robust bird than the H. Duvaucel; it moreover has a thicker bill, and the whole of the upper
plumage much more dense. Specimens frequently occur in collections sent from Singapore, but which I
believe are generally made in Malacca; at this moment I have several of both sexes before me which I am
sure are fully adult, and yet there is not the slightest trace of the scarlet on the rump of either of them ;
neither have I seen any indications of it in the specimens contained in the Collection at the British Museum,
nor in those in the Museum of the East India Company, and in those in the possession of T. C. Eyton, Esq.,
and others. In a letter transmitted to me by A. R. Wallace, Esq., that gentleman says, “I think there are
four species of Trogons in Malacca; but as I only obtained males of two of them, I cannot be certain 3 two
of them are of the average size, and the other two smaller. Of the smallest I have only a female in a bad
state of plumage; I believe it is H. rutilus. The bill and the skin of the gape are deep cobalt-blue ; the
culmen broadly, and the margins narrowly bordered with black or horn-colour. The bare skin above the
eye is pale sky-blue; the irides dark brown, and the feet dusky blue.” The bird referred to by Mr. Wallace
is the bird here figured, and not the 1. Duvauceh.

The usual difference is observable in the colouring of the sexes, which are correctly represented on the
accompanying Plate, of the natural size. eae

The male has the head and neck black; all the upper surface rich reddish cinnamon ; WEE black, the
ous fine, irregular, wavy lines of white; primaries margined
surface, and under tail-coverts fine rosy scarlet ; two centre
the two next black; the three outer ones on each
the culmen broadly, and the

coverts and secondaries crossed by numer
externally with white; breast, all the under
tail-feathers cinnamon-brown, slightly tipped with black ;
side blackish brown, largely tipped with white; bill and gape deep cobalt-blue ; eee
margins narrowly bordered with black or horn-colour ; bare skin above the eye pale sky-blue ; irides dark

brown; feet dusky blue.

The female has the head and throat reddish brown; upper sur
light ‘cinnamon-brown, W
two centre tail-feathers cinnamon-

face as in the male, but darker; breast

i ry ashed with a rosy hue;
cinnamon-brown ; abdomen and under tail-coverts very

Sari : : bands ;
primaries and secondaries black, crossed by narrow ochreous 5

brown, the remainder as in the male.

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