100 



HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



will follow Edwards through all the minutias 

 of its singular conformation. It is about the 

 size of, and shaped like, a jackdaw, with a 

 large head to support its monstrous bill ; this 

 bill, from the angles of the mouth to its point, 

 is six inches and a half ; and its breadth, in 

 the thickest part, is a little more than two. 

 Its thickness near the head, is one inch and 

 a quarter; and it is a little rounded along the 

 top of the upper chap, the under side being 

 round also ; the whole of the bill is extremely 

 slight, and a little thicker than parchment. 

 The upper chap is of a bright yellow, except 

 on each side, which is of a fine scarlet colour; 

 as is also the lower chap, except at the base, 

 which is purple. Between the head and the 



down the unfortunate bird's head, and unfitting it for up- 

 ward flight, or even for ordinary vision, excepting in one 

 direction. In that case the toucan must have been 

 doomed to a grovelling life upon the earth, perpetually 

 striving to use its brilliant wings, and longing to search 

 for food amongst the high branches of fruit-bearing trees, 

 but striving and longing in vain. This would not 

 have been in conformity with the usual harmony of nature ; 

 and, therefore, in spite of its enormous beak, we find the 

 toucans flying as nimbly as any other bird from tree to 

 tree perching on the summits of the very highest 

 searching for fruit with restless activity pursuing small 

 birds which, it is now ascertained, form part of their food 

 and defending their young with unremitting vigilance 

 against serpents, monkeys, and other enemies. All 

 these functions of their existence could not have been 

 performed if the specific gravity of the beak were equal 

 to its dimensions. But it is not so. As compared, in 

 specific gravity, with the beak of a hawk, for instance, the 

 beak of the toucan may be said to stand in the same rela- 

 tion to it as a piece of pumice-stone to a piece of granite. 

 The exterior of the beak is a spongy tissue, presenting a 

 number of cavities, formed by extremely thin plates, and 

 covered with a hard coat scarcely thicker. This remark- 

 able beak forms almost as curious and wonderful an ex- 

 ample of peculiar organization as the trunk of the ele- 

 phant. We are not so intimately acquainted with its 

 uses ; but there can be no doubt that the instrument is 

 admirably adapted to the necessities of the toucan's exis- 

 tence. 



The toucans, as well as the aracaris, (for aracari tou- 

 can,see Plate XVII. fig. 15.) which they greatly resemble, 

 are found in the warmest parts of South America. Their 

 plumage is brilliant ; and their feathers have been em- 

 ployed as ornaments of dress by the ladies of Brazil and 

 Peru. Several specimens have been kept alive in this 

 country. Mr Broderip, in the Zoological Journal for 

 January 1825, has given an interesting account of a 

 specimen in a small menagerie, whose habits he watched 

 with great care. By this examination the fact was es- 

 tablished that the toucan ordinarily feeds on small birds. 

 The toucan in question, upon a goldfinch being put into 

 his cage, would instantly kill it by a squeeze of his bill, 

 and then deliberately pull his prey to pieces, swallow- 

 ing every portion, not excepting the beak and the legs. 

 Mr Broderip states that the toucan appeared to derive 

 the greatest satisfaction from the act of eating, which he as- 

 cribes to the peculiar sensibility of the internal part of 

 the beak. He never used his foot except to confine his 

 prey on the perch : the beak was the only instrument em- 

 ployed in tearing it to pieces. It appears, also, that this 

 bird subjects some of its food to a second mastication by 

 its beak, in a manner somewhat resembling the similar 

 action in ruminating animals. 



bill there is a black line of separation all 

 round the base of the bill ; in the upper part 

 of which the nostrils are placed, and are al- 

 most covered with feathers ; which has occa- 

 sioned some writers to say, that the toucan ha? 

 no nostrils. Round the eyes, on each side of 

 the head, is a space of bluish skin, void of 

 feathers, above which the head is black, ex- 

 cept a white spot on each side joining to the 

 base of the upper chap. The hinder part of 

 the neck, the back, wings, tail, belly, and 

 thighs, are black. The under side of the 

 head, throat, and the beginning of the breast, 

 are white. Between the white on the breast, 

 and the black on the belly, is a space of red 

 feathers, in the form of a new moon, with its 

 horns upwards. The legs, feet, and claws, 

 are of an ash-colour; and the toes stand like 

 those of the parrot, two before, and two be- 

 hind. 



It is reported, by travellers, that this bird, 

 though furnished with so formidable a beak, 

 is harmless and gentle, being so easily made 

 tame, as to sit and hatch its young in houses. 

 It feeds chiefly upon pepper, which it devours 

 very greedily, gorging itself in such a man- 

 ner that it voids it crude and unconcocted. 

 This, however, is no objection to the natives 

 from using it again ; they even prefer it be- 

 fore that pepper which is fresh gathered from 

 the tree : and seem persuaded that the strength 

 and heat of the pepper is qualified by the bird, 

 and that all its noxious qualities are thus ex- 

 hausted. 



Whatever be the truth of this report, no- 

 thing is more certain than that the toucan 

 lives only upon a vegetable diet ; and in a 

 domestic state, to which it is frequently 

 brought in the warm countries where it is 

 bred, it is seen to prefer such food to all other. 

 Pozzo, who bred one tame, asserts, that it 

 leaped up and down, wagged the tail, and 

 cried with a voice resembling that of a mag- 

 pie. It fed upon the same things that parrots 

 do; but was most greedy of grapes, which, 

 being plucked off one by one, and thrown into 

 the air, it would most dexterously catch be- 

 fore they fell to the ground. Its bill, he adds, 

 was hollow, and upon that account very light, 

 so that it had but little strength in so appar- 

 ently formidable a weapon ; nor could it peck 

 or strike smartly therewith. But its tongue 

 seemed to assist the efforts of this unwieldy 

 machine ; it was long, thin, and flat, not un- 

 like one of the feathers on the neck of a dung- 

 hill-cock ; this it moved up and down, and 

 often extended five or six inches from the bill. 

 It was of a flesh colour, and very remarkably 

 fringed on each side with very small filaments, 

 exactly resembling a feather. 



It is probable that this long tongue has 

 greater strength than the thin hollow beak 



