166 



THE WHITE-FACED BAEBET. 



COLLAEED BABBET.— Bmcco colldris. 



To all appearance the Barbels are dull 

 and heavy birds, seeming to pass a very 

 unenviable kind of existence ; chained as it 

 were to a single spot, and apparently feeling 

 every movement a source of trouble. But to 

 the Barbet itself, this kind of inactive life con- 

 stitutes its best happiness ; and we should be 

 as wrong to attribute sadness and melancholy 

 to it, as was Buffon when he spoke in such 

 forcible and eloquent terms of the miserable 

 existence passed by the woodpeckers. While 

 sitting upon the twig which it has chosen 

 for its perch, the Barbet has a curious habit 

 of puffing out its plumage, so as to transform 

 itself into an almost cylindrical ball of 

 feathers, and has, on account of this odd 

 custom, been termed the Puff Bird. 



There are many species of Barbet, one of 

 which, the Collaeed Baebet, a native of 

 South America, is an example of the typical 

 genus Bucco, It is rather a pretty little bird, 

 the head and neck being of a chestnut fawn, 

 the chest white, and the under parts of the 

 body the same hue as the head, but of a 

 lighter tint. A well-defined black collar or 

 band runs across the chest, and extends 

 over the shoulders, where it merges into the 

 chestnut brown of the back. The wings and 

 back are darker than the head, and covered 

 with a number of small black bars. The tail 

 is chestnut and barred with black. 



The White-faced Barbet is not so hand- 

 some a bird, being more sombre in its 

 clothing than the collared Barbet. The general colour of this bird is black, and the 

 forehead and face are white, together with the chin. In size it is about equal to our 





r, Aim lJ .—CeeHvoptua teneln-isc. 



