TOCO TOUCAN. 507 



The colour of the Ehinoceros Hornbill is as follows :- The general tint of the body is 

 dusky black, changing to greyish white below. The feathers of the head and neck are 

 long and loose, and more like hairs than feathers. The tail is of a greyish white, with a 

 bold black band running across it near the extremity. The enormous bill is generally of 

 a yellowish white colour, the upper mandible being of a beautiful red at its base, and the 

 lower mandible black. The helmet is coloured with black and white. The length of the 

 bill is about ten inches. 



Another species of this curious group is the Whixe-ceested Hornbill, a bird which 

 is remarkable for the peculiarity from which it derives its name. 



Although not nearly so large as the preceding species, it is a truly handsome bird, and, 

 except by an ornithologist, would hardly be recognised as belonging to the same group as 

 the rhinoceros Hornbill. Its beak, although very large in proportion to the rest of the 

 bird, is not so prominent a feature as in the other Hornbills, and its beautiful white fan- 

 shaped crest takes off much of the grotesque aspect which would otherwise be caused by 

 the large bill. Very little of the helmet is visible in this species, as it is of comparatively 

 small dimensions, and is hidden by the plumy crown which decorates the head. The tail 

 is very long, and, as will be seen by the engraving, is graduated and coloured in a very 

 bold manner, each feather being black except at the extreme tips, which are snowy white. 

 The general colour of this bird is deep, dull black, through which a few very small 

 white feathers protrude at distant intervals, the tail is black, each feather being tipped 

 with white, and the crest is white, with the exception of the black shaft and black tip of 

 each feather. 



SCANSOEES, on CLIMBING BIE.DS. 



A LARGE group of birds is arranged by naturalists under the title of Scansoees, ot 

 Climbing Birds, and may be recognised by the structure of their feet. Two toes are 

 directed forward and the other two backward, so that the bird is able* to take a very 

 powerful hold of the substance on which it is sitting, and enables some species, as the 

 woodpeckers, to run nimbly up tree-trunks and to hold themselves tightly on the bark 

 while they hammer away with their beaks, and other species, of which the Parrots 

 are familiar examples, to clasp the bough as with a hand. There is some little difficulty 

 in settling the exact limits of this group, so I have preferred to accept the arrangement 

 which has been sanctioned by the authorities of the British Museum. 



The very curious birds that go by the name of Toucans are not one whit less 

 remarkable than the hornbills, their beak being often as extravagantly large, and their 

 colours by far superior. They are inhabitants of America, the greater number of species 

 being found in the tropical regions of that country. 



Of these birds there are many species, of which no less than five were living in the 

 Zoological Gardens in a single year. Mr. Gould, in his magnificent work, the "]Monograph 

 of the Ehamphastidae," figures fifty-one species, and ranks them under six genera. 



The most extraordinary part of these birds is the enormous beak, which in some 

 species, such as the Toco Toucan, is of gigantic dimensions, seeming big enough to give 

 its owner a perpetual headache, while in others, such as the Toucanets, it is not so large 

 as to attract much attention. 



As in the case of the hornbills, their beak is very thin and is strengthened by a vast 

 number of honeycomb-cells, so that it is very light and does not incommode the bird in 

 the least. In performing the usual duties of a beak, such as picking up food and pluming 

 the feathers, this apparently unwieldy beak is used with perfect address, and even in 

 flight its weight does not incommode its owner. 



