THE PIE KIND. 195 



nor could it peck or strike smartly therewith. 

 But its tongue seemed to assist the efforts of this 

 unwieldy machine : it was long, thin, and flat, 

 not unlike one of the feathers on the neck of a 

 dunghill cock ; this it moved up and down, and 

 often extended five or six inches from the bill. 

 It was of a flesh colour, and very remarkably 

 fringed on each side with very small filaments, 

 exactly resembling a feather. 



It is probable that this long tongue has greater 

 strength than the thin hollow beak that contains 

 it. It is likely that the beak is only a kind of 

 sheath for this peculiar instrument, used by the 

 toucan, not only in making itself a nest, but also 

 in obtaining its provision. Nothing is more cer- 

 tain than that this bird builds its nest in holes of 

 trees, which have been previously scooped out for 

 this purpose ; and it is not very likely that so 

 feeble a bill could be very serviceable in working 

 upon such hard materials. 



Be this as it will, there is no bird secures its 

 young better from external injury than the tou- 

 can. It has not only birds, men, and serpents to 

 guard against, but a numerous tribe of monkeys, 

 still more prying, mischievous, and hungry, than 

 all the rest. The toucan, however, scoops out 

 its nest in the hollow of some tree, leaving only 

 a hole large enough to go in and out at. There 

 it sits with its great beak, guarding the entrance ; 

 and if the monkey ventures to offer a visit of 

 curiosity, the toucan gives him such a welcome, 

 that he presently thinks proper to pack off, and 

 is glad to escape with safety. 



