. Natural history. Zoology. TROGONS. 349 The trogons are all birds of bright plumage, even the hens having brilliant colours in many of the species. They are often called Heterodactyli on account of their peculiar feet, Vfhich constitute the chief structural feature of the order. The palate is schizognathous The Trogons. or slit, and the second toe is turned backwards. The front Order IVogones. plantar tendon (flexor perforcms digitorum) is split into two, and leads to the two front toes, while the hind plantar [fiexorlongos haUiicis) is again split, and leads to the two hind toes. The plumage
. Natural history. Zoology. TROGONS. 349 The trogons are all birds of bright plumage, even the hens having brilliant colours in many of the species. They are often called Heterodactyli on account of their peculiar feet, Vfhich constitute the chief structural feature of the order. The palate is schizognathous The Trogons. or slit, and the second toe is turned backwards. The front Order IVogones. plantar tendon (flexor perforcms digitorum) is split into two, and leads to the two front toes, while the hind plantar [fiexorlongos haUiicis) is again split, and leads to the two hind toes. The plumage of the trogons is of the softest description, and the skin is so thin that we have often heard travellers say that it has no more substance than tissue-paper, and every one admits that trogons are the most difficult birds in the world to prepare. At the present day the order is distributed over Africa, a great part of India and the Malayan sub-region, but they are most numerous in Central and Southern America. In ancient times they occurred in France, as fossil remains have been found there along with those of touracoes and secretary-birds. One of the most splendid of birds is the long-trained trogon or quezal, which has been adopted by the republic of Guatemala as its national em- blem, and figures on the postage stamps of that country. It has a tail of eight inches in length, but the upper tail-coverts are enormously developed, the central ones extending into a train four times as long as tlie actual tail itself. The quezal is found in Guatemala and Costa Rica, but is not so plentiful as formerly ; it is entirely a bird of the forests, and has a rapid flight. Mr. Stolzmann noticed the Peruvian quezal clinging to the trunks of trees like a woodpecker. The American trogons (Trogon) are chiefly fruit-eaters, like the African species of Hapaloderma. They are entirely forest birds, and are said to be rather stupid, not even flying away at the report of a gun, so that a whole part
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