550 



THE HAIRY-BREASTED BARBET. 



the bristly feathers of the head and neck very scantily protect those portions. The 

 nostrils are round, and situated in the " cere" at the base of the beak. 



The colouring of this bird is very simple. The general tint of the whole upper surface 

 is black-green, like that of the Aratoo, excepting the greater wing-coverts, and the upper 

 tail-co*erts, which are of a rich crimson. The abdomen and thighs are also crimson, but 

 with a perceptible vermilion tint. The upper part of the breast and the neck are black, 

 and a very slight white edging appears on some of the feathers. The tail is moderately 

 long, rounded, and very firmly made. The total length of this bird is about twenty 

 inches. 



UA1KY-UKKASTEL) BAUBET. Laimadon hirsutus. 



WE now take our leave of the Parrots, and come to a very interesting family of 

 scansorial birds, known popularly as Woodpeckers, and scientifically as Picidse. 



There are many members of this large family, differing exceedingly in size, colour, and 

 form, but yet possessing a kind of family resemblance not easy to be described, but readily 

 recognisable. For convenience of description modern zoologists have grouped the Wood- 

 peckers into several sub-families, all of which will be represented in the following pages, 

 and which are termed the Capitoninae or Barbets, the Picumninae or Piculets ; the Picinae 

 or true Woodpeckers, the Gecinae or Green Woodpeckers, the Melanerpinae or Black 

 Woodpeckers, and the Colaptinae or Ground Woodpeckers. 



OUR example of the first sub-family is the HAIEY-BREASTED BARBET. 



This is, perhaps, the most curious of all the Barbets, on account of the peculiarity 

 from which it derives its name. The feathers of the breast are much stiffer than the 

 others, and more sharply pointed, and the shafts of the lower breast-feathers are devoid of 

 web, and project to the distance of nearly an inch from the rest of the plumage, looking 

 as if a number of long curved bristles had been inserted among the plumage. All 

 the Barbets possess strong and conical beaks, surrounded with bristles at the base, and 

 their stiff tail-feathers enable them to support their bodies while they are perched upon 

 the upright trunk of the tr^ee on which they are seeking their insect food. They are all 

 found in tropical climates, and the greater number, among which the present species may 

 be included, are natives of Western Africa. In their habits they are said to be rather slow 

 and sluggish birds, not possessed of the fiery vivacity which distinguishes the true Wood- 

 peckers, and their food is not so wholly of an insect nature. The wings and tail are short, 

 and aU the species are of small dimensions. 



