364 



niE F rant En ED trires. 



disproportion of tlic bill, and the seemingly clumsy ^ihape of birds of this genus, as tliey 

 are usually set up or I'cpresented in figures, its appearance was not onlj' graceful, but its 

 movements, as it glided from perch to perch, were light and sylph-like ; so much so, 

 indeed, as to lead to this bird being called Ramphastos Ariel. This toucan kept itself 

 in beautiful plumage, its lighter colours being strikingly vivid, and the deep hue of its 

 upper body in particular being always black and glossy. For this fine condition it 

 seemed to be much indebted to itsfondness for bathing. Every day it immersed itself 

 in cold water with apparent pleasure, even in severe w-eather, and in no i-espect did it 

 seem to suffer by the transition from its own warm climate to an uncongenial atmo- 

 sphere. 



Besides the usual sounds of these birds, it uttered, at times, a hoarse and somewhat 

 discoi'dant cry when it happened to be liungry, and to see its food about to be presented 



THE SAFFROX-COLOUKED HII.L TOUCAN.* 



to it. On such occasions it stood erect, raising its head in the air, and half opening its 

 bill, as this cry was emitted. " These," says Mr. Vigors, " are the only sounds I have 

 heard him utter ; and in neither can I say that I have detected any similarity, or even 

 approach, to the word 'toucan,' as has sometimes been asserted, and from whence the 

 trivial name of the genus has been supposed to originate. Neither have I been able to 

 verify another observation which has been advanced respecting these birds, that the bill 

 is compressible between the fingers in the living bird. The bill, notwithstanding the 

 lightness of its substance, is firm, and capable of grasping an object with much strength." 

 Mr. Vigors generally observed that this l)ird took what was ofi'ered rather by the sides 

 than the point of the bill, and he suspected that much of the power of that member was 

 centred in this lateral motion. On the cold weather commencing, it was brought into a 



Aiulijfcua BnlUoni. — Gould. 



