SCANSORES. 309 



" The instant he introduced his hand with the 

 Goldfinch into the cage of the Toucan, the latter, 

 which was on a perch, snatched it with his bill. 

 The poor little bird had only time to utter a short 

 weak cry ; for within a second it was dead, killed 

 by compression on the sternum and abdomen, and 

 that so powerful, that the bowels protruded after 

 a very few squeezes of the Toucan's bill. As soon 

 as the Goldfinch was dead, the Toucan hopped with 

 it still in his bill to another perch, and, placing it 

 between his right foot and the perch, began to strip 

 off the feathers with his bill. When he had plucked 

 away most of them, he broke the bones of the wings 

 and legs (still holding the little bird in the same 

 position) with his bill, taking the limbs therein, and 

 giving at the same time a strong lateral wrench. He 

 continued this work with great dexterity till he had 

 almost reduced the bird to a shapeless mass ; and 

 ever and anon he would take his prey from the 

 perch in his bill, and hop from perch to perch, 

 making at the same time a peculiar hollow clattering 

 noise, at which times I observed that his bill and 

 wings were affected with a vibratory or shivering 

 motion, though the latter were not expanded. He 

 would then return the bird to the perch with his 

 bill, and set his foot on it. He first ate the viscera, 

 and continued pulling off and swallowing piece after 

 piece, till the head, neck, and part of the back and 

 sternum with their soft parts were alone left : these, 

 after a little more wrenching while they were held 

 on the perch, and mastication, as it were, while 



