340 ANIMALS OF EGA. Chap. V. 



siderable weight ; all animals, therefore, which feed upon 

 fruit, or on insects contained in flowers, must, of course, 

 have some means of reaching the ends of the stalks from 

 a distance. Monkeys obtain their food by stretching 

 forth then long arms and, in some instances, their tails, 

 to bring the fruit near to their mouths. Humming- 

 birds are endowed with highly-perfected organs of 

 flight, with corresponding muscular development, by 

 which they are enabled to sustain themselves on the 

 wing before blossoms whilst rifling them of their con- 

 tents. These strong-flying creatures, however, will, 

 whenever they get a chance, remain on their perches 

 whilst probing neighbouring flowers for insects. Tro- 

 gons have feeble wings, and a dull, inactive tempera- 

 ment. Then mode of obtaining food is to station 

 themselves quietly on low branches in the gloomy 

 shades of the forest, and eye the fruits on the sur- 

 rounding trees, darting off, as if with an effort, every 

 time they wish to seize a mouthful, and returning to 

 the same perch. Barbets (Capitoninae) seem to have 

 no especial endowment, either of habits or structure, 

 to enable them to seize fruits ; and in this respect they 

 are similar to the Toucans, if we leave the bill out of 

 question, both tribes having heavy bodies, with feeble 

 organs of flight, so that they are disabled from taking 

 their food on the wing. The purpose of the enormous 

 bill here becomes evident. Barbets and Toucans are 

 very closely related ; indeed a genus has lately been 

 discovered towards the head waters of the Amazons,* 



* Tetragonops. Dr. Sclater has lately given a figure of this bird in 

 the Ibis, vol. iii. p. 182. 



