TOUCAN. 155 



tendance, it will live many years under the protection of 

 man. 



The extreme sagacity and docility of this bird form 

 the best apology that can be made for the time which is 

 spent in teaching it to talk. At first it obstinately resists 

 all instruction, but seems to be won by perseverance ; 

 makes a few attempts to imitate the first sounds ; and, 

 when it has acquired the articulation of one word dis- 

 tinctly, the rest of its lesson is generally learnt with 

 great ease. 



These qualities of sagacity and docility seem also na- 

 tural to them, in their residence among the woods. They 

 live together in flocks ; and assist each other against their 

 enemies, either by their courage or their notes of warning. 

 They generally breed in hollow trees, where they make 

 their nests. The largest kinds lay only two or three 

 eggs ; but it is probable that the smaller lay more. The 

 natives are very assiduous in seeking the places where 

 they nestle, for the purpose of procuring the young ; be- 

 cause those prove the most teachable and lively which are 

 reared in confinement. 



The Indians are not anxious to possess these birds for 

 their talking alone, for sale, or for beauty, but also for 

 food; since, though some of them are ill-tasted, others 

 are said to be very delicate, particularly those of the par- 

 roquet kind. 



Numerous as the species are, and widely as they are 

 disseminated over Asia, Africa, and America, yet it ap- 

 pears that they were not very generally known by the an- 

 cients. The green parroquet with a red neck was the first 

 of this family imported into Europe, and the only one 

 that was described, from the time of Alexander to that of 

 Nero. 



THE TOUCAN. 



There are several species of this singular bird : but they 

 agree in having an enormously large bill, convex, and 

 H 6 



