372 



SCAXSORES. BIRDS.- 



-RlIAMPHASTIDJE. 



Scansorial birds, exhibit characters which would seem 

 lo justify their being placed as an order by themselves. 

 Their feet fig. 1 19 are powerful, furnished with long 

 grasping toes, and covered with a granular skin, 

 rarely exhibiting scales or plates except towards the 

 extremities of the toes. The latter are provided with 



Fig. 119. 



Foot of Common Parrot 



soft pads beneath, and the whole foot is adapted for 

 firmly clasping any object in the manner of a hand. 

 In accordance with this structure, the great majority of 

 the Parrots dwell in trees, upon the branches of which 

 they cling and climb about in every possible position, 

 the conformation of their feet rendering them almost as 

 active in climbing as the monkeys, to which they must 

 be regarded as analogous amongst birds. 



In the "Woodpeckers, forming another principal 

 group of these birds, the feet are differently constructed, 

 and adapted for a very different kind of climbing. The 

 tarsi and toes in the Woodpeckers are shielded in front 

 fig. 120. The toes are not fitted for grasping in the 



Fig. 120. 



Foot of Woodpecker. 



manner of those of the Parrots, but are long, and fur- 

 nished with acute curved claws, by the agency of which 

 the birds are enabled to cling firmly to the rough bark 

 of trees, and thus to run rather than climb upon their 

 trunks. By the reversal of the outer toes, two claws 

 are brought behind in each foot, an arrangement which 

 is of much use to the bird in running down the trunk 

 of a tree with its head downwards, and the tarsus is 

 depressed between the two hind toes, so as to form a 

 sort of sole upon which the bird rests in ascending. 

 The affinities of the Woodpeckers would seem to be 

 with the Tenuirostral birds, if they are to be transferred 

 to the Passerine order. 



The Cuckoos and Toucans, which form the rest of 

 this order, although furnished with Zygodactyle feet, 

 do not appear to be truly Scansorial in their habits, 

 but rather perching birds with Scansorial feet. The 

 former might be placed with the Fissirostral birds, and 

 the latter seem to approach the Hornbills. The four 



types just mentioned form the four families of this 

 order. We commence with the Toucans. 



FAMILY I. RHAMPHASTHXffl. 



The birds of this family are distinguished, like those 

 of the concluding group of the preceding order, by the 

 great development of the bill, which is sometimes so 

 large as to throw the bird himself completely into the 

 shade; so that we cannot wonder at the name of 

 Tout-bee, or All-bill, being applied to some of the 

 Toucans by the French colonists of Guiana. The 

 general form of the bill is very similar to that prevail- 

 ing in the Hornbills, but usually rather less tapering 

 towards the extremity. It is also destitute of those 

 remarkable protuberances which give some of the 

 Hornbills such a singular aspect. As in the Hornbills, ' 

 however, the substance of the bill is cellular or spongy, 

 so that, notwithstanding its apparently unwieldy bulk, 

 it is too light to present any obstacle to the tolerably 

 active movements of the birds. The margins of both 

 mandibles are denticulated throughout their length, ; 

 and the curved tip of the bill is ordinarily sharp. The i 

 tongue in these birds is perhaps more remarkable than : 

 the bill, being exactly like a feather. A strong carti- i 

 laginous stalk runs up the centre, bordered on each ' 

 side with long and slender barbs, which are placed i 

 close together as in an ordinary feather, and increase | 

 in length as they approach the extremity of this singu- ] 

 lar tongue. The Indians of South America attribute ! 

 extraordinary virtues to this feather-like organ, and 

 employ it as a remedy in various diseases. The tarsi 

 are short, but terminated by long and powerful toes, 

 and the proportions of the legs and feet adapt the 

 Toucans but badly for moving on the ground, where 

 they cannot walk, but hop along with a very bad grace. 

 Both the tarsi and the toes are covered with shield-like 

 plates on the upper or anterior surface. 



The Toucans are exclusively inhabitants of the 

 warmer regions of America, where they abound in 

 many parts of the forests. They are usually seen in 

 small flocks, hopping from branch to branch of the 

 highest trees. They are shy and cautious in their 

 habits, and feed principally upon fruits, especially 

 bananas, which they swallow whole. By some writers 

 they have been said to throw the fruit upon which 

 they feed up into the air, and then catching it with 

 widely open bill, allow it to plunge down into the 

 throat. It would appear, however, that their usual 

 mode of proceeding is to take the fruit up between the 

 mandibles, and then throwing the head back, leave it 

 to roll down to its destination. They do not migrate, but 

 wander about the country, making their appearance in 

 greater numbers in certain districts, when some favourite 

 fruit happens to be ripe there. Fruits, however, are 

 not then- only diet, but, on the contrary, they feed freely 

 on animal substances, killing and devouring small birds 

 and reptiles, plundering the nests of other birds of their 

 eggs, and even occasionally making a meal upon fish, 

 worms, and the larvae of insects. 



Even when in motion amongst the branches of the 

 trees, the large beaks of the Toucans give them a 



