BOATBILLS. 213 



"The green tody," says Sloane, "is a bird of recluse habits, haunting the bor- 

 ders of retired marshes and 'melancholy places ;' in the country parts it keeps 

 much about houses, flies very low, and probably may be easily tamed." Accord- 

 ing to Lesson, '• These birds live upon insects which they catch in the mud or 

 in the water : they are in truth water inoitcJio-ollcs, and their wide flattened 

 bill, furnished with asperities or teeth, permits them to sift the mud and retain 

 their prey ; they also seek for small insects under moss or on the banks of 

 rivulets." 



The accounts concerning the manner of their nidification vary, some authors 

 asserting that they build their nests upon the ground, of cotton down, feathers, 

 moss, and other soft materials, while the Prince von Wied assures us that they 

 construct a " conical bag-shaped nest of wool, with a narrow entrance on one 

 side." 



Snb-Familv III. 



THE BOATBILLS. EURYLAIMIN.E. * 



General Characteristics. — Bill large, more or less depressed, and extremely 

 broad at the base, with the culmen curved, and the sides gradually compressed to 

 the tip, which is slightly emargmated.; the gonys long and ascending ; the nostrils 

 lateral, more or less near to the base, and exposed ; the wings moderate, with the 

 third and fourth quills equal and longest ; the tad generally moderate, graduated, 

 or forked ; the tarsi short ; and the toes long, with the lateral ones unequal, and 

 the outer toe united to the middle one for some distance. 



These birds are found in India and the neighbouring islands ; 

 they reside in small flocks in the humid forests and jungles, espe- 

 cially such as abound with rivers and marshes. Their food con- 

 sists of insects and worms ; at times they feed also on berries and 

 fruits. 



The typical species is — 



The Collared Eurylaimus {Eurylaimus ochromalus), described only 

 from stuffed specimens. Sir Stamford Raffles says : " The Euryhmmis 

 Javaniciis frequents the banks of rivers and lakes, feeding on insects and 

 worms. It builds its nest pendent from the branch of a tree or bush which 

 overhangs the water." Mr. Horsfield found it m Java, in one of the most 

 distant and inaccessible parts covered with extensive forests and abounding 

 with rivers and marshes. 



A small group of these birds, known by the general name of " Broadbills," 

 inhabit India, and more especially Malayana. Of these, one beautiful species 

 — called the Yellow-throated BroadbiU {Psarisoinus DalJwusicE) — is met with 

 throughout the Himalayas from a low level to an altitude of 6,000 feet. 

 It frequents the densest parts of the forests, where it may be seen solitary or 



* eiipi^s, eurus, broad; Xat/xjs, laimos, the throat. 



