20G 



VERTEBRATA. 



fruits, and especially on nu 



(inco's, fi'oiii wliidi, li(! saj's, their llisli ;ictjuires a delicious flavor. 

 They arc fouiul in the dense forests and jungles, 

 where they sit upon the highest branches of the 

 trees, often in large troops; their nesting places 

 are the holes of trees, -which, like the parrots and 

 toucans, they cidarge for the purpose of nidifica- 

 ation ; the female lays four eggs. Their fliglit is 

 effected by a very rapid motion of the wings, 

 ■which produces a considerable noise ; this is ac- 

 companied by a continual clattering of their man- 

 dibles, so that the passage of a flight of hornbills 

 causes a sound which is said to be productive of 

 very uncomfortable sensations when its origin is 

 unknown, as it bears a good deal of resemblance 

 to one of those sudden, violent winds which often 

 rise unexpectedly in the tropics. 



There are several species : the Crowned Took, 

 Buceros coronatus^ is African, with an enormous 

 red bill ; the body smoke-color above and whit- 

 ish below. Levaillant saw flocks of five hun- 

 dred of these, with crows and vultures, feeding 

 on the remains of one elephant. The B. cava- 

 fus is of the Himalaya Mountains ; the body is 

 of white and blackish-gray ; bill large, hooked, 

 and having a sort of casque above the beak, 

 which appears heavy, but is light, frail, and easily 



THE CROWNED TOCK. CrUshcd. 



The Rhinoceros ITornbill, B. Rhinoceros^ is four feet long, including the bill, which is a foot 

 long : it is found in India. There are still other species. 



THE MUSOPIIAGID^E OR PLANTAIN-EATERS. 



These are African birds, and comprise several 

 genera; among them are the Touracos, which 

 are very elegant birds, feeding on soft fruits ; 

 the prevailing colors are brilliant green. The 

 Crested Touraco, Chisoerhis variepata, is twen- 

 ty inches long; light gray above; under plum- 

 age white ; crest far back on the head. Other 

 species are the Corythaix Scncgalensis^ 0. ery- 

 thyolophus^ Musophaga violacca, <fec. 



THE OPISTHOCOMID.E OR HOATZINS. 



These birds, of which there is but a single 

 species, the Hoatzin, Opisthocomus cristatus, 

 are closely allied to the j^receding; they live in 

 large flocks on the banks of rivers and creeks 

 in Brazil and Guiana ; they are nearly as large 

 as peacocks, and arc similar in shape, with a 

 tall crest of narrow feathers on the head. The 

 bill is thick, short, convex, and bent down at the 

 tip ; it feeds on the leaves of a particular tree — 

 the Arum arborescens ; it lays three to four eggs. 



' .' v\r\f ! 



THE CRESTED TOURACO. 



