TOUCANS. 181 



the limbs by a strong lateral wrench with his beak, 

 and, tearing it to pieces, devoured it portion by 

 portion, with the highest manifestations of enjoy- 

 ment. Ever and anon he would take the prey in 

 his beak, and hop with it fiom perch to perch, 

 making a hollow clattering noise, and shivering his 

 wings. The beak and feet of his prey gave him 

 the most trouble, but he devoured the whole, and 

 evidently with great relish ; "for whenever he 

 raised his prey from the perch, he appeared to 

 exult, now masticating the morsel with his toothed 

 bill, and applying his tongue to it, now attempting 

 to gorge it, and now making the peculiar clatter- 

 ing noise, accompanied by the shivering motion 

 above mentioned." After this, animal food was 

 mixed with the diet of this bird, in the form of 

 meat, varied with a living bird occasionally ; and 

 it was observed that he greatly preferred the ani- 

 mal to the vegetable diet, carefully picking out 

 all the morsels of the former before he would eat 

 the latter. 



There is a peculiarity connected with the repose 

 of the Toucans which is worth noticing, as it was 

 observed in the species seen by Mr. Broderip, 

 and in that in the possession of Mr. Vigors. The 

 latter gentleman observes of his specimen, that 

 its habits were singularly regular. As the dusk 

 of evening approached, it finished its last meal 

 for the day, took a few turns, as if for exercise, 

 around the perches of its cage, and then settled 

 on the highest, disposing itself at the moment of 

 alighting in its singular posture of preparatory 

 repose, its head drawn in between the shoulders, 

 and the tail turned up vertically over its back. In 

 this posture he generally remained about two 



