TOUCANS. 487 



blood-red. The upper tail-coverts are grayish-white, and the 

 under deep crimson. A large orange circle surrounds the 

 eye, and within it is a second circle of cobalt-blue. A green 

 ring incloses the pupil, with a narrow yellow ring round it. 



Cuvier's toucan inhabits the woods of the Upper Amazon. 

 There are several smaller toucans, one of which (the Ptero- 

 glossus flavirostris) has the most beautiful plumage, its 

 breast being adorned with broad belts of rich crimson and 

 black. 



The most curious, however, is the curly-crested toucan 

 (Pteroglossus Beauharnaisii). The feathers on its head con- 

 sist of thin, horny blades of a lustrous black colour, curled 

 up at the ends, and resembling shavings of steel. The curly 

 crest assumes, indeed, the grotesque form of a coachman's 

 wig dyed black, and produced apparently by the tongs of the 

 hair-dresser. 



None of the smaller species utter the loud yelping notes of 

 the larger. The cries of the curly-crested toucan are very 

 singular, resembling somewhat the croaking of frogs. 



Mr. Bates had one day wounded one ; and on attempting 

 to seize it, it set up a loud scream. In an instant, as if by 

 magic, the wood seemed alive with its companions, who de- 

 scended towards him, hopping from bough to bough, some 

 of them swinging on the loops of the lianas and sipos, croak- 

 ing and fluttering their wings like so many furies. Had 

 he had a long stick in his hand, he could have knocked over 

 several of them. The screaming of their companion which 

 he had killed having ceased, they remounted the trees ; and 

 before he could reload his gun, which he had left at a little 

 distance, they had all disappeared. 



He possessed a tame toucan of one of the large species, 



