THE JACAMAES. 343 



small birds when in a state of nature, but one kept in a large aviary at Colombo destroyed all the 

 little Amadincv placed with it. Not content with snapping them up when within his reach, he would 

 lie in wait for them behind a thick bush or the feeding-trough, pounce upon them unawares, and, 

 after beating them a little on the ground or perch, swallow them whole. When this cannibal came 

 into my possession he was confined in a smaller cage than that in which he had at first been secured. 

 This seemed to displease him, and he went to work to find some means of escape. He narrowly 

 examined every side and corner to discover a weak spot, and having detected one, applied himself 

 vigorously to bore a hole through it, as a Woodpecker would have done. Grasping the bars with his 

 feet, he swung himself round, bringing his whole weight to bear upon his bill, which he used as a 

 pickaxe, till the house resounded with his rapid and well-aimed blows. On being checked from 

 exercising his ingenuity in this manner, he became sulky, and refused to eat or offer his call of 

 recognition when I approached him. In a day or two, however, he apparently thought better of the 

 matter, resumed his labours upon another spot, and fed as voraciously as ever, devouring huge slices 

 of bananas, jungle fruits, the bodies of any small birds I skinned, &c." 



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 Distribution- 

 Its Cry Habits After its Prey Its own Nest-builderMr. Rowley's Note on the Subject Nest in the British 

 Museum Superstitions concerning the Kingfisher Colour Various Species CRESTED KINGFISHER PIED KING- 

 FISHER Dr. Von Heuglin's Account of its Habits New World Representatives OMNIVOROUS KINGFISHERS THE 

 AUSTRALIAN CINNAMON-BREASTED KINGFISHER Macgillivray's Account of its Habits THE LAUGHING JACKASS of 

 Australia Its Discordant Laugh The " Bushman's Clock "Colour-Habits -THE HORNBILLS 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 Description 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 Distribu- 

 tion THE COMMON HOOPOE Habits The Name -How does it Produce its Note ? THE WOOD HOOPOES Habits. 



THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE FISSIROSTRAL PICARIAN BIRDS. 

 THE JACAMARS (Galbulidce}* 



THESE birds are usually of metallic green plumage, with long beaks and wedge-shaped tails, and are 

 found only in Central and Southern America, where they seem to represent the Bee-eaters of the Old 

 World. Not many notices have appeared of their habits, the best being that given by Mr. Waterton, 

 in his "Wanderings" in Demerara : "A bird called Jacamar is often taken for a Kingfisher, but it 

 has no relationship to that tribe: it frequently sits in the trees over the water, and as its beak bears some 

 resemblance to that of the Kingfisher, this may probably account for its being taken for one. It feeds 

 entirely upon insects. It sits on a branch in motionless expectation, and as soon as a Fly, Butterfly, 

 or Moth passes by, it darts at it, and returns to the branch it had just left. It seems an indolent, 

 sedentary bird, shunning the society of all others in the forest. It never visits the plantations, but is 

 found at all times of the year in the woods. There are four species of Jacamar in Demerara; they 

 are all beautiful, the largest rich and superb in the extreme. Its plumage is of so fine a changing blue 

 and golden green, that it may be ranked with the choicest of the Humming Birds. Nature has denied 

 it a song, but given a costly garment in lieu of it. The smallest species of Jacamar is very common 

 in the dry savannas. The second size, all golden green in the back, must be looked for in the Wallaba 

 Forest ; the third is found throughout the whole extent of these wilds ; and the fourth, which is the 

 largest, frequents the interior, where you begin to perceive stones in the ground." 



i. a proper name. 



