THE TOUCAN. 



THIS curious bird is almost twenty inches in 

 length ; the bill is six inches long, and near two 

 inches thick at the base, being of a yellowish 

 green colour, reddish at the tip. The nostrils 

 are at the base of the bill. The principal up- 

 per parts of the body, and the breast and neck, 

 are of a glossy black, with a tinge of green ; 

 the lower part of the back, upper part of the 

 tail, and small feathers of the wings, are the 

 same, with a cast of ash colour ; the breast is 

 of a fine orange. The under part of the body, 

 the sides, thighs, and short feathers of the tail, 

 are a bright red ; the remainder of the tail is 

 of a greenish black, tipped with red. The legs 

 and claws are black. This bird is easily tamed, 

 and will become very familiar, and eat almost 

 any thing offered to it ; in general it feeds on 

 fruits. In its wild state it is a noisy bird, and 

 is perpetually moving from place to place, in 



(109) 



