THE YELLOW THROATED TOUCAN. 



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(^ HE Toucans are a numerous 

 race of South American birds, 

 at once recognizable by the 

 prodigious size of their beaks 

 and by the richness oi their phimage. 

 " These birds are very common," says 

 Prince Von Wied, " in all parts of the 

 extrensive forests of the Brazils and 

 are killed for the table in large 

 numbers during the cool seasons. 

 Their eggs are deposited in the hollow 

 limbs and holes of the colossal trees, so 

 common in the tropical forests, but 

 their nests are very difficult to find. 

 The egg is said to be white. They are 

 very fond of fruit, oranges, guavas and 

 plantains, and when these fruits are 

 ripe make sad havoc among the neigh- 

 boring plantations. In return for 

 these depredations the planter eats 

 their flesh, which is very delicate." 



The flight of these birds is easy and 

 graceful, sweeping with facility over 

 the loftiest trees of their native forests, 

 their strangely developed bills being 

 no encumbrance to them, replete as 

 they are with a tissue of air-filled cells 

 rendering them very light and even 

 buoyant. 



On the ground they get along with 

 a rather awkward hopping movement, 

 their legs being kept widely apart. In 

 ascending a tree they do not climb 

 but mount from one branch to another 

 with a series of jumps, ascending to 

 the tops of the very loftiest trees, safe 

 from every missle except a rifle ball. 

 They have a habit of sitting on the 

 branches in flocks, lifting their bills, 

 clattering them together, and shouting 

 hoarsely all the while, from which 

 custom the natives call them Preacher- 

 birds. Sometimes the whole party, 

 including the sentinel, set up a 

 simultaneous yell so deafeningly 



loud that it can be heard a mile. 

 They are very loquacious birds and are 

 often discovered through their perpet- 

 ual chattering. Their cry resembles 

 the word "Tucano," which has given 

 origin to the peculiar name. 



When settling itself to sleep, the 

 Toucan packs itself up in a very sys- 

 tematic manner, supporting its huge 

 beak by resting it on its back, and tuck- 

 ing it completely among the feathers, 

 while it doubles its tail across its back 

 just as if it moved on hinges. So com- 

 pletely is the large bill hidden among 

 the feathers, that hardly a trace of it is 

 visible in spite of its great size and 

 bright color, so that the bird when 

 sleeping looks like a great ball of loose 

 feathers. 



Sir R. Owen concludes that the 

 large beak is of service in masticating 

 food compensating for the absence of 

 any grinding structures in the in- 

 testinal tract. 



Says a naturalist: '' We turned into 

 a gloomy forest and for some time saw 

 nothing but a huge brown moth, which 

 looked almost like a bat on the wing. 

 Suddenly we heard high upon the trees 

 a short shrieking sort of noise end- 

 ing in a hiss, and our guide became 

 excited and said, "Toucan!" The 

 biids were very wary and made off. 

 They are much in quest and often shot 

 at. At last we caught sight of a pair, 

 but they were at the top of such a high 

 tree that they were out of range. 

 Presently, when I had about lost hope, 

 I heard loud calls, and three birds came 

 and settled in a low bush in the middle 

 of the path. I shot one and it proved to 

 be a very large toucan. The bird was 

 not quite dead when I picked it up, 

 and it bit me severely with its huge 

 bill." 



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