PHAROMACRUS AURICEPS, Gould.

Golden-headed Train-bearer.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Mas.—Capite splendide aureo-viridi ; rostro favo ; caudd in toto nigra.

Male.—The whole of the head, throat, cheeks and back of the neck golden bronze ; chest, all
the upper surface, Wing- and tail-coverts rich golden green ; wings and tail jet-black ;
breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts of the deepest blood-red, inclining to erlmson ;
feathers clothing the tarsi black ; bill yellow ; feet reddish brown.

Total length, 15+ inches ; bill, 1+ ; wing, 8; tail, 8.

Female.—Face, chin and head chocolate-brown ; chest, upper surface, wing- and _tail-coverts
golden green ; wings brownish black ; primaries margined with buff; across the breast a
band of brown ; abdomen. and under tail-coverts blood-red ; tail black, the three outer

feathers toothed on their outer webs and shehtly tipped with white ; bill blackish brown.

Trogon (Calurus) auriceps, Gould in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. ix. p. 238.

Calurus auriceps, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p- 71. pl. 25, Calurus, sp. 6.—Ib.
List of Spec. of Birds in Coll. Brit. Mus., part u. sect. 1, Fissirostres, p-46.—Bonap. Consp.
Gen. Av., p. 152, Calurus, sp. 3.

 

Selater in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part xxi. p. 137.

 

Like the other members of the genus, this large and powerful species of Pharomacrus appears to be strictly
a dweller among mountainous districts, and to be especially abundant in the neighbourhood of Santa Fé de
Bogota, great numbers being comprised in every large collection of birds sent from that city ; I also possess a
single specimen which was transmitted to me direct from Quito by Professor Jameson ; it is probable, there-
fore, that it may hereafter be found to inhabit all the intermediate countries between these two somewhat
distant localities. Like the P. Pavoninus, this species has a black tail; but it differs from that bird in many
other respects, especially in its much greater size and in the bright yellow colouring of its bill, which organ
is blood-red in P. Pavoninus. Dr. Percy has called my attention to an interesting article on the colouring
matter of this species by M. An. Bogdanow, of Moscow, in the “ Comptes Rendus,” tom. xlv., Nov. 1857 ;
but as these observations are more fitted for the Introduction, they are omitted here.

Iam not quite certain whether the bird represented by the back figure in the accompanying Plate is a
young male or a female, but I believe it to be the former; still, to distinguish the young males from the
females with certainty, it will be necessary to resort to actual dissection.

The figures are of the natural size.

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