THE GREAT-BILLED TODY. 



123 



Although a very handsome bird, it does not equal the preceding species in the brilliancy 

 of its plumage. The general color is a deep rich purple, diversified by yellow, black, and 



JAVAN TODY.— Eurylalmus javanicus. 



brown. The yellow is chiefly seen in the coverts and edges of the wing, and the tips of the 

 tail-coverts. The forehead, tail-coverts, and tail-feathers arc black, with the exception of a 

 white mark upon the quill-feathers of the tail. 



The Great-billed Tody has been placed by some authors in the genus Eurylaimus, 

 together with the Javan Tody, but in some catalogues it is separated into a new genus under 

 the title of Cymbirhynchus, or Boat-billed, in allusion To the singular form and shape of its 

 beak. The specific title of Macrorhynchus is also given in allusion to the same peculiarity, 

 and signifies Long-billed. 



It is rather a thickly made bird, possessing a stout, heavy-looking body, which harmo- 

 nizes well with the great, boat-shaped beak. The curiously-shaped bill is very large, thick, 

 and strong, very wide at its base, well arched above, and hooked at the point. Both mandi- 

 bles are about the same length, and the color is blue. The bird is an inhabitant of the Indian 

 Archipelago, and is most numerously found in the interior of Sumatra, where it may be seen 

 haunting the banks of rivers and searching for its food, which consists chiefly of insects, 

 worms, and various aquatic creatures. Its nest is ingeniously constructed of slender twigs 

 woven into a nearly globular form, and is fastened to the extremity of some convenient branch 

 which overhangs the water, so that the young and eggs are safe from the attacks of the many 

 enemies which assail them in these regions. The eggs are from two to four in number, and of 

 a pale blue tint. 



The coloring of its plumage is rather handsome, although quaint and peculiar. The 

 general tint of the upper parts of the body is dead black, and that of the abdomen and lower 

 1 >arts a dark red. Around the throat runs a 1. road belt of stiff, wiry feathers of a red hue, 

 which point upward on each side, and are probably intended for the purpose of defending the 

 eyes. At each side of the bill there are several similar stiff bristly hairs, which also point 



