On  the  banks  of  the  Amazon  these  birds  are  very
numerous,  differing  in  size  from  the  Trogon  r/'/'/W/x,  a
small  species  whose  body  is  scarcely  bigger  than  one


284  SYNDACTYLJ-:..
of  our  sparrows,  to  the  Curugua  grande  (Calitnts  aur!-
wps),  twice  the  size  of  a  jay.  All  have  spreading  tails,
and  their  loose  plumage  makes  them  look  of  greater
dimensions  than  they  really  are.  At  intervals,  they
utter  a  mournful  note,  well  imitated  by  their  common
name,  Owrvgua.  This  cry  would  inevitably  betray
them  to  the  hunter,  but  they  are  admirable  ventrilo-
quists, and  it  is  often  impossible  to  discover  them,
even  when  directly  above  the  head  of  their  pursuer.
The  species  vary  as  much  in  colour  as  in  size,  but
the  backs  of  all  are  of  a  resplendent  green  or  blue,
while  beneath  they  are  conspicuously  ornamented
with  red,  or  pink,  or  yellow.  In  the  pairing  season,
the  male  has  a  very  melancholy  note,  which  is  never
uttered  at  any  other  time  than  when  the  female  is
sitting.  They  begin  to  pair  about  April,  when  they
take  possession  of  the  hole  of  a  rotten  tree,  or  the
excavations  made  by  ants  ;  and  here  the  female  lays
three  or  four  white  eggs  in  the  decayed  wood  and
dust ;  or,  if  there  be  no  dust,  they  bruise  the  wood
into  powder  by  means  of  their  strong  beak.  The
young,  when  first  hatched,  are  quite  destitute  of
feathers,  and  the  old  birds  feed  them  with  small
worms,  caterpillars,  and  insects.
