SCANSORES. 311 



duced from necessity to the above mode of solacing 

 his palate with animal food. His food consists of 

 bread, boiled vegetables, eggs, and flesh, to which 

 a little bird is now added, about every second or 

 third day. He shews a decided preference for ani- 

 mal food, picking out all morsels of that description, 

 and not resorting to the vegetable diet till all of 

 the former is exhausted." * 



The figure which the Toucan presents when at 

 roost is not a little ludicrous, at least if we may 

 judge from the habits of a specimen (R. Ariel) in 

 the possession of the Zoological Society, described 

 by Mr. Bennett. "When moderately free from 

 interruption, its habits are singularly regular. At 

 the approach of -dusk, it finishes its last meal for 

 the day, takes a few turns round the perches of its 

 cage, and then settles on the highest of them. The 

 moment it alights on the perch, its head is drawn 

 in between its shoulders, and its tail turned verti- 

 cally over its back. In this posture it generally 

 continues for about two hours, between sleeping 

 and waking, its eyes for the most part closed, but 

 opening on the slightest interruption. At such 

 times it allows itself to be handled, and will even 

 take any favourite food that is offered to it, without 

 altering its position further than by a gentle turn 

 of the head. It will also suffer its tail to be re- 

 placed in its natural downward posture, but imme- 

 diately returns it, as if by a spring, to the vertical 

 position. At the end of about two hours it begins 



* Zool. Jour. vol. i. p. 487. 



