80 Wonders of the Bird World 



and chipped pieces out of them, until at last the centre 

 feathers extended beyond the others, and on these the bird 

 finally commenced to form its racket. How glad it must 

 have been when the two centre tail-feathers began to extend 

 beyond the others, so that it knew exactly on which it had 

 to work ! Motmots are inhabitants of the Neotropical 

 region, that is to say, the whole of Central America south 

 of the plateau of Mexico, and the entire continent of South 

 America. Throughout the greater part of this region 

 Motmots are found, excepting the extreme south. They 

 are Picarian birds, allied to the Kingfishers, and have a 

 saw-like edge to the bill, which may be of use to the young 

 bird in its first moult, when the necessity of trimming 

 its central tail-feathers first impresses itself on its mind. 

 In habits the Motmots are rather sluggish, and they 

 might be weli called " Pendulum Birds," from the way in 

 which they sit at rest on a bough, swaying their tail back- 

 wards and forwards like the pendulum of a clock. They 

 make their nest, like a Kingfisher, in the hole of a bank, 

 tunnelling to a distance of from six to nine feet, and de- 

 positing their four white eggs in a chamber where a few 

 dry sticks constitute the so-called u ncst." 



One of the most interesting examples of the assumption 

 of decoration during the breeding season is seen in the 

 Puffin {Fratercula arcticd) of the British coasts. This is 

 one of the Auks {Alcidcz), and belongs to the same family 

 as the Great Auk (Plautus impennis), which, owing to its 

 inability to fly, its feeble wings being insufficient to carry 

 its large body through the air, has become extinct during 

 the present century. The Puffin, on the other hand, is a 

 bird of strong powers of flight, and is often to be seen far 

 out at sea, like the Guillemots, Razorbills, and other 

 members of the family of Auks. Our common Puffin has 

 the remarkable habit of moulting certain portions of its 

 bill. The latter in summer is grey, crossed with bands of 



