216 Mr. W. Goodik\]ow—Ornitholu(/ical 



the Indians slaughtered them by the hundred, and at certain 

 seasons organized expeditions especially for killing them. 

 I have seen them return from these expeditions with many 

 hundreds of smoked Toucans, which they keep to eat out 

 of the fruit season, when game is scarce. When the fruit is 

 ripe on certain forest trees, the Indian lads are sent to make 

 a temporary dwelling under the branches, and they take up 

 their abode there while the fruit lasts, each boy selecting a 

 tree to himself. With their silent blowpipes they pick off all 

 birds that come tiiere to feed. Considering this wholesale 

 slaughter, it is a wonder that this Toucan and many other 

 birds have not long ago become extinct, in the Napo region 

 at any rate. The Indians use the feathers for decorating their 

 weapons and persons, while from the bills they carve quaint 

 necklaces. The bare skin around the eyes is shaded Oxford 

 blue. Indian name " Dumbiqui.^' When we were on the 

 Napo we only met this Toucan singly or in pairs. 



477. Pteroglossus pluricinctus Gould. 



One male from the Coca River. Iris cream-coloured; skin 

 around the eyes dark red ; legs and feet olive-green. 



478. Pteroglossus castanotis (Gould). 



A male and two females from Archidona and the Coca. 

 In each case the bills vary very much in size and colour. 

 Iris grey ; skin round the eyes cream-coloured. 



479. Pteroglossus erythropygius Gould. 



Pive males and two females from Santo Domingo appear 

 to belong to this species, which is common in the banana- 

 plantations around the huts, sometimes in small flocks, but 

 more often singly. This is the only Toucan which I have 

 observed to settle on the ground in a wild state. Pupil 

 dark green; iris yellow; eyelids blue; bare skin round the 

 eyes crimson ; legs and feet dark green. The bill is creamy 

 white (pale stone-colour), shading into red at its base, while 

 the tip is red ; slaty black shews along the cutting-edge, and 

 some specimens have a dark line down the centre. Two of 

 the birds are changing the wing- and tail-feathers from 

 brown to dark dull green. 



