57 6 



PICARIAN BIRDS. 



Toco Toucan. 



Aracari Toucans. 



The general colour of this bird (Rhamphastus toco) is black, with 



a broad white band across the rump ; the under surface of the body 



is also black, with the vent crimson ; the throat is white, fading into yellow on 



the neck, and followed by a crimson band on the fore-neck. The length is nearly 



2 feet, and the bill is nearly 6| inches long. It has a very wide distribution in 



South America, being found from Guiana to the Lower Amazon, and extending 



through Brazil and Bolivia to Argentina. Mr. White met with it near Oran, 



frequenting the high forest trees in large flocks. 



Of the smaller-billed toucans, some of the best known are the 



so-called aracaris {Pteroglossus) ; and an incident recorded by Mr. 



Stolzmann, during his travels in Peru, shows how difficult these birds are to see in 



their forest surroundings, his experience being very similar to that of Bates with the 



curl-crested toucan (P. beauharnasi) on the Amazon. Stolzmann says that when 



procuring a pair of the yellow-billed aracari (P. fiavirostris), or yurimaguas, he fired 



in a high tree at a bird, which uttered some piercing cries as it fell, and in a moment 



he was surrounded by ten of the birds, keeping up a fearful din. On a second shot 



being fired, they all disappeared. This circumstance proves, as he says, that although 



only one individual can be seen, it does not follow that there are no more in the 



neighbourhood, as they are, in fact, always in little troops, according to the general 



habit of toucans in Peru. 



R. BOWDLER SHARPE. 



LESSEE SPOTTED WuODi'KCKEK. 



