Zoological Illustrations, Volume 2: or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting AnimalsSwainson, William
Science
Zoological Illustrations, Volume 2: or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals
Swainson, William
Animals -- Pictorial works
(Female) above olive-brown; beneath pale fulvous; throat white; ears
and spurious quills black; stripe before and behind the eye, and spot
on the ears whitish.
Platyrhinchos cancromus. (male?) _Temminck_ and _Laugier_. _Pl. Col._
_Pl._ 12. _f._ 2.
* * * * *
The remarkable breadth of the bill, and the extreme shortness of the tail,
in this bird, render it a very singular little creature. Though a native of
Brazil, I never met with it during my travels in that country; and the only
specimen I have yet seen belongs to Mr. Leadbeater. The figure of _P.
cancromus_ of Professor Temminck, differing only from this bird in having a
yellow crest, leads me to believe they are sexes of the same species; this
being the female bird. The tail in the male appears to be somewhat longer,
but this may be an error of delineation, and the description has not yet
been published.
The figure is of the natural size, and below is an outline of the bill and
nostrils; these latter are depressed, and the base covered with thickset
feathers; the aperture is naked, round, and piercing the membrane in a
lateral direction, midway between the ridge and margin of the bill, and at
the end of the nasal membrane. The plumage above fulvous brown: darker, and
tinged with reddish on the margin of the quills and tips of the wing
covers: spurious quills and stripe beneath the eyes black: the upper part
of the ears are also black, the lower half whitish yellow; chin and throat
whitish; breast and body beneath pale fulvous brown; tail remarkably short,
and not projecting beyond the wings; upper mandible black, lower white.
Since the publication of the remarks on this genus at Plate 14, a further
consideration of the subject induces me to adopt the opinion of Professor
Temminck, in placing the _Todus Platyrhynchos_, Gm., and its allies, under
a distinct genus; or, in other words, of detaching from this group the
second division annexed to my former definition of this genus. Still,
however, the close affinities I have there pointed out, render the generic
situation of several of these birds very doubtful; because the transition
from one to the other is so gradual that even the most accurate set of
generic characters, founded on the bill, will not clearly define the limits
between the genera _Platyrhynchus_ and _Muscipeta_. Their anatomy might do
so, but on this subject we are quite ignorant.
I can gather nothing from the characters which Dr. Horsfield has given in
the Linnaean Transactions of his new genus _Eurylaimos_; which does not
perfectly agree with those of _Platyrhynchus_. It appears to have precisely
the same formation of bill, nostrils, legs, &c. as _P. cancromus_, but in a
higher state of development; thus strengthening the opinion I have above
expressed.
* * * * *
Pl. 116
[Illustration]
MUSCIPETA barbata,
_Whiskered Flycatcher._
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account