298 TROPICAL NATURE 



than are exhibited in their beautifully-coloured plates, of the 

 endless ways in which the most glaring and inharmonious 

 colours are often combined in natural objects with a generally 

 pleasing result. 



We will next group together three families which, although 

 quite distinct, may be said to represent each other in their 

 respective countries, the toucans of America, the plantain- 

 eaters of Africa, and the hornbills of the East, all being 

 large and remarkable birds, and certain to attract the tra- 

 veller's attention. The toucans are the most beautiful on 

 account of their large and richly-coloured bills, their delicate 

 breast-plumage, and the varied bands of colour with which 

 they are often adorned. Though feeding chiefly on fruits, 

 they also devour birds' eggs and young birds ; and they are 

 remarkable for the strange habit of sleeping with the tail laid 

 flat upon their backs, in what seems a most unnatural and 

 inconvenient position. What can be the use of their enor- 

 mous bills has been a great puzzle to naturalists, the only 

 tolerably satisfactory solution yet arrived at being that sug- 

 gested by Mr. Bates, that it simply enables them to reach 

 fruit at the ends of slender twigs which, owing to their weight 

 and clumsiness, they would otherwise be unable to obtain. 

 At first sight it appears very improbable that so large and 

 remarkable an organ should have been developed for such a 

 purpose; but we have only to suppose that the original 

 toucans had rather large and thick bills, not unlike those of 

 the barbets (to which group they are undoubtedly allied), and 

 that as they increased in size and required more food, only 

 those could obtain a sufficiency whose unusually large beaks 

 enabled them to reach farthest. So large and broad a bill as 

 they now possess would not be required; but the develop- 

 ment of the bill naturally went on as it had begun, and, so 

 that it was light and handy, the large size was no disadvantage 

 if length was obtained. The plantain-eaters of Africa are less 

 remarkable birds, though adorned with rich colours and 

 elegant crests. The hornbills, though less beautiful than the 

 toucans, are more curious, from the strange forms of their 

 huge bills, which are often adorned with ridges, knobs, or 

 recurved horns. They are bulky and heavy birds, and during 

 flight beat the air with prodigious force, producing a rushing 



