78 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 



man's observations, and was immediately snatched by 

 the Toucan with its bill. The poor little bird had only 

 time to utter a short weak cry ; for, within a second, it 

 was dead, killed by compression so powerful that the 

 bowels were protruded after a very few squeezes of the 

 Toucan's bill. As soon as the goldfinch was dead, the 

 Toucan hopped with it still in its bill to another perch, 

 and began to strip oft' the feathers. When it had 

 plucked away most of them, it broke the bones of the 

 wings and legs, taking the. limbs in its bill, and giving 

 at the same time a strong lateral wrench. It continued 

 this work with great dexterity till it had almost reduced 

 the bird to a shapeless mass ; ever and anon taking its 

 prey from the perch in its bill, hopping from perch to 

 perch, and making its peculiar hollow clattering noise, 

 its bill and wings being at the same time aftected by a 

 vibratory motion. It first ate the viscera, and continued 

 swallowing piece after piece, leaving the head, neck, 

 and part of the back and sternum with their soft parts 

 for the conclusion of its feast. It did not reject even 

 the beak or legs of its prey, but swallowed the entire 

 bird in the course of about a quarter of an hour, appear- 

 ing during the whole time to experience great enjoy- 

 ment. When its meal was completed, it cleansed its bill 

 from the feathers by rubbing it against the perches and 

 bars of its cage. Mr. Broderip adds, that he had more 

 than once seen it return its food, some time after it had 

 taken it, from its crop, and after masticating the morsel 

 in its bill, again swallow it ; the whole operation, parti- 

 cularly the return of the food to the bill, bearing a 

 strong resemblance to the analogous action in the rumi- 

 nating animals. The food on which it was observed to 

 be so employed, was a piece of beef, which had evidently 

 been macerated for some time in its crop. While mas- 

 ticating, it made the same clattering noise as it had 

 made over the remains of the goldfinch. Previously to 



