x NATURAL HISTORY. 



PAGE 



PEL'S FISH OWL The EAGLE OWL Dr. Brchm's Description of its Appearance and Habits THE SNOWY 



OWL HAWK OWLS PIGMY OWLETS THE SHORT-EARED OWL THE LONG-EARED OWL THE BARN OWL The 



Farmer's Friend Peculiar Characters Distribution 296 



THE SECOND ORDER. PIC ARIA N BIRDS. 



CHATTER VII. 



THE PARROTS. 



Characteristics of the Order The Sub-orders ZYGODACTYL^E THE PARROTS Their Talking Powers Sections of 

 the Family THE GREAT PALM COCKATOOTHE PYGMY PARROTS THE AMAZON PARROTS THE AMAZONS 

 THE GREY PARROT Court Favourites Historical Specimens In a State of Nature Mr. Keulemans' Ob- 

 servations THE CONURES THE ROSE-RINGED PARRAKEET Known to the Ancients -Habitat- -Habits THE 

 CAROLINA CONURE Destructive Propensities THE PARRAKEETS THE OWL PARROT Chiefly Nocturnal 

 Incapable of Flight How this Fact may be accounted for Dr. Haast's Account of its Habits THE STRAIGHT- 

 BILLED PARROTS THE BRUSH-TONGUED PARROTS -THE NESTORS THE KAKA PARROT Skull of a Parrot 

 The Bill 308 



THE SECOND ORDER. PICARIAN BIRDS. SUB-ORDER I. ZTGODACTTL^L 



CHAPTER VIII. 



CUCKOOS HONEY GUIDES PLANTAIN-EATERS WOODPECKERS TOUCANS BAKHETS. 



THE CUCKOOS THE BOSH CUCKOOS THE LARK-HEELED CUCKOOS, OR COUCALS THE COMMON CUCKOO- Its 

 Characteristics Mrs. Blackburn's Account of a Young Cuckoo Ejecting a Tenant Breeding Habits The Eggs 

 The Call-notes of Male and Female Food Its Winter Home Its Appearance and Plumage THE HONEY 

 GUIDES Kirk's Account of their Habits Mrs. Barber's Refutation of a Calumny against the Bird THE 

 PLANTAIN-EATERS THE WHITE-CRESTED PLANTAIN-EATER THE GREY PLANTAIN-EATER THE COLIES 

 THE WHITE-BACKED COLY THE WOODPECKERS -How they Climb and Descend Trees Their Bill Do they 



Damage Sound Trees? THE WRYNECKS THE YAFFLE THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER THE SPOTTED 



WOODPECKER THE TOUCANS Mr. Gould's Account of their Habits Mr. Waterton's Account The 

 Enormous Bill Azara's Description of the Bird Mr. Bates' History of a Tame Toucan -THE BARBETS 

 Messrs. Marshall's Account of the Family Mr. Layard on their Habits 323 



THE SECOND ORDER. PICARIAN BIRDS. SUB-ORDER II.-FISSIROSTRES. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE JACAMARS, PUFF BIRDS, KINGFISHERS, HORNBILLS, AND HOOPOES. 



THE JACAMARS THE PUFF BIRDS -THE KINGFISHERS Characters THE COMMON KINGFISHER Distribu- 

 tion Its Cry Habits After its Prey It's own Nest-builder Mr. Rowley's Note on the Subject Nest in the 

 British Museum Superstitions concerning the Kingfisher Colour Various Species CRESTED KINGFISHER 

 PIED KINGFISHER Dr. Von Heuglin's Account of its Habits New World Representatives OMNIVOROUS KING- 

 FISHERS THE AUSTRALIAN CINNAMON-BREASTED KiNGFisHER--Macgillivray's Account of its Habits THE LAUGH- 

 ING JACKASS of Australia Its Discordant Laugh The " The Bushman's Clock '' Colour Habits THE HORN- 

 BILLS Character Their Heavy Flight Noise produced when on the Wing Food -Extraordinary Habit of 

 Imprisoning the Female Native Testimony Exception Fed by the Male Bird Dr. Livingstone's Observations 

 on the point, and Mr. Bartlett's Remarks Strange Gizzard Sacs Dr Murie's Remarks Mr. Wallace's Descrip- 

 tion of the Habits of the Hornbills Capture of a Young One in Sumatra THE GROUND HORNBILLS South 

 African Species Kaffir Superstition regarding it Habits Mr. Ayres' Account of the Natal Species How it Kills 

 Snakes The Call Habits Mr. Monteiro's Description of the Angola Form Turkey-like Manner Wariness - 

 Food THE HOOPOES Appearance Distribution THE COMMON HOOPOE Habits The Name How does it 

 produce its Note ? THE WOOD HOOPOES Habits . 343 



CHAPTER X. 



THE BEE-EATERS MOTMOTS HOLLERS TROGONS NIGHTJARS, OR GOATSUCKERS SWIFTS HI MMING-HIRDS. 



THE BEE-EATERS Their Brilliant Plumage Colonel Irby's Account of the Bird in Spain Shot for Fashion's sake 

 THE MOTMOTS -Appearance Mr. Waterton on the Houtou Curious Habit of Trimming its Tail Mr. O. 

 Salvin's Obseivationsonthis point Mr. Bartlett's Evidence THE ROLLERS Why so called Canon Tristram's 

 Account of their Habits Colour Other Species THE TROGONS Where found Peculiar Foot Tender Skin- 

 Inability to Climb Their Food THE LONG-TAILED TROGON, OR QUESAL Mr. Salvin's Account of its Habits Its 

 Magnificent Colour How they are Hunted THE NIGHTJARS, OR GOATSUCKERS Appearance Distribu- 

 tion The Guacharo, or Oil Bird "Frog-mouths" Mr. Gould's Account of the Habits of the Tawny-shouldered 

 Podargus -How it Builds its Nest Mr. Waterton's Vindication of the Goatsucker What Services the Bird does 

 really render Cattle, Goats, and Sheep Its Cry THE COMMON GOATSUCKER THE SWIFTS THE COMMON 

 SWIFT Migration Their Home in the Air When they Breed Nest TREE SWIFTS The Edible-Nest Swiftlets 

 Mr. E. L. Layard's Visit to the Cave of the Indian Swiftlet THE HUMMING BIKDS Number of Species 

 Distribution Professor Newton's Description of the Bird Mr. Wallace on their Habits Wilson on the North 

 American Species ...,...,., 360 



