180 SCANSORES. RHAMPHASTID^E. 



they remained as if watching. This circumstance, 

 combined with others connected with the remains 

 of food found in the stomachs of such as he dis- 

 sected, had induced him to suspect that the Tou- 

 cans were partly carnivorous, feeding on the eggs 

 and young of other birds, as well as fruits and 

 berries ; and that while perched upon these high 

 trees, they were in fact busily employed in watch- 

 ing the departure of the parent birds from their 

 nests. Mr. Swainson, however, had never de- 

 tected a Toucan in the fact, nor were his dissec- 

 tions quite conclusive as to the animal nature of 

 their food. Dr. Such also informed Mr. Broderip 

 that he had seen these birds in Brazil, frequently 

 engaged in quarrels with the monkeys, and that 

 he was certain that they fed on eggs and nestlings, 

 as well as on a certain fruit called the toucan- 

 berry. 



These presumptions were abundantly confirmed 

 by the carnivorous appetite of the specimen seen 

 by Mr. Broderip in a state of captivity. The 

 bird had been fed exclusively on vegetable food ; 

 but one day, a Canary having escaped from its 

 cage, and approached that of the Toucan, the 

 latter was extremely excited, and on the barrier 

 being removed it instantly seized the Canary 

 and devoured it. On hearing of this incident, 

 Mr. Broderip went to see the Toucan, and re- 

 quested the keeper to bring in a small bird, in 

 order to observe the result. On a Goldfinch 

 being introduced into the cage, it was eagerly 

 seized, and killed in a moment by the pressure of 

 the powerful beak. Then holding it on the perch 

 with one foot, the Toucan proceeded to strip off 

 the feathers ; after which he broke the bones of 



