PICARIAN BIRDS. 



icK the .orW of excavation ^«^^7"^f ^„ J^atSt "71^^^ 

 holes in a sea.-cli for the tme nest of a tody, I "ft*" ^h^ latter black ipulsive- 

 strange tenants, such as field-m>ce, bzards.and 'P ^;"!- J^'^Vwions foLd by 

 looUifg objects, a. of — "J^^re S a^ti: il Lt's^ry in p^secutin'g 

 thefallingawayof stones, to, ^that^mej horizontally and to a con- 



a search for the eggs of the bird, ihe ''"■™«' ^ ; ,,t angles 



siderable depth, b„Unvanab^(s^ ^-^-^l^^-^^^l ^^^ ronn^ded 



at a tew inches ^'■■o^J^^^^''^^ „Y^„, ^f^ earth, without any lining whatever, 

 cell, where, upon a ht«e^ap^rW of ^^ ^^^^ .^ „„„,b«r, almost globular, 



the eggs are laid, ihese are "»""* ^ ^^ ^ ^1 contents 



glossy^nd of a WtiM pearfy wh.te. ^V^J^^ ;:^l^^,^,, kinghshe.s 

 impart a dehcate p.nk tmge ^*e *^^^ J ^ Gosse well ren.arks, th.s 



eggs. The tameness of the todj 18 wen K ■ ' i have accomplished 



J^ms rather the '--- o ;n.h«^i..^^^^^^^^^^ ,^^,^ ,,^„„,,^, 



the capture of specimens with a buttertiy nei ai. tempted 



and fi^quently a tody has permitted » »-■■ - ^-^^t, Wpn pairs, if'not 



— t:rat.^:u;Lbe<lspace. Theirfo^^ 



The Motmots. 

 Family MouoTiD.e. 



, • . «„^ t.,^ nentral and South America, the motmote, of which 



Exclusively confined to Cent™' »»« ° kingfishers and bee-eaters of the 



there are seven genera, are closely alhed to '^e ^ ngtohe ^^^^ ^^ 



Old World, and ai. ^VJ^ -^'^^.r^.^l^^i:: ^Z, 1^'yond the othei. 

 them having a long tad, «''*'';''^ J''"" ^arcin of the breast-bone has four 

 The first toe is always present; the '''™*'^. °'"*^" ^^ere are no ca^ca to the 

 notches, which are convert^l into P-f°-*-;";;;""do„btless of use to the 

 intestines The bill is serrated its f y-':'''', "°*f^!? ^^^ ;„ the wild state 



birds when they nip ofT the webs of the"' *a "^^^^^^^ ^^ U.n begin to grow 

 and in confinement, as soon as the central f«=''*h'ns ot the fe 



beyond the line of the others, the birds commence ^ nibbl^^e web y, ^^^ J 

 a W shaft for an inch or an inch -^ a^ >-» , with^ arfe ^.^^^^ ^.^_ 



of the central pair. In one instance l-^'-^V^^ *^" j;'™;,Led than the other, 

 feathers had not gi-own «y>""*''=»"y/"^,^'"i„rrr£eather which its instinct 

 The bird was evidently puzzled to fi^^'^^Vorstetl of t^e other feathers, 

 warned it to nibble, and it began <>P'^f '°°^ T, ™e^' ,„d showed which 

 until in time the middle one ^'^^^f ^^y'^^^J^j'^;:,:: „f motmots, dis- 

 was the proper one to snip. There ^'^'^ »'^™"^^ ' , ^jj^ the exception 

 tributed among seven genera, all of them having long tails, wit 



