THE COPPERSMITH. 71 



breath, for like all the barbet family, to which he belongs, 

 he is of a somewhat clumsy build, and not adapted for 

 active exercise in a warm climate. Nevertheless he 

 thrives exceedingly ; his food, of wild fruits, is abundant, 

 and he can peck out a home in any old tree ; barbets, like 

 woodpeckers, excavating their own quarters, and nobly 

 despising any luxury in the form of bedding within. Both 

 barbets and woodpeckers have the toes in pairs like a 

 parrot's, two in front and two behind, which as stated 

 above, has been cited in the case of the latter birds as a 

 beautiful adaptation for climbing ; but as nuthatches 

 climb better than woodpeckers with toes of the ordinary 

 three-to-one arrangement, and as barbets don't climb 

 at all. but just hop, that theory is insufficient. 



One very puzzling point about the Coppersmith is his 

 whiskers. His stout black bill is garnished with a sort of 

 straggly moustache of the ' ' cricketer ' ' type eleven a 

 side which does not appear to be either ornamental or 

 useful. Both sexes have it, the female Coppersmith being 

 in all respects like her mate, and it is common to many 

 other barbets, but not to all ; though such whiskers crop 

 up again in other birds of quite different families. These 

 are generally insect-eaters, but some barbets which do 

 eat insects are clean-shaven ones, so no connection with 

 that habit will account for Alexander's hirsuteness. In 

 fact the use of the " rictal bristles," as ornithologists call 

 such appendages, is one of the puzzles presented by birds 

 which have not as yet been solved. Young barbets, like 

 young woodpeckers do not move about on their toes, but 

 on fcheir heels, arid they have a similar hard heel-pad to 



