g6 CASSELL'S BOOK OF BIRDS. 



THE PODITTI. 

 The PoDiTTi {Syma flavirostris), one of the two species of Saw-beaked Alcyons with which «-e are 

 acquainted, as inhabiting AustraHa and New Guinea, is of a brownish red on the top of the head, nape, 

 ear-covers, and sides of throat ; the back and wings are dull green, the rump and tail greenish blue, 

 the front of the throat and lower belly yellowish white, and the remainder of the under side yellowish 

 bro\vn ; the head is almost encircled by a narrow black line ; the pale red bill is blackish brown at its 

 culmen. This species is seven inches and one-sixth long ; the wing measures two inches and two- 

 thirds, and the tail two inches and one-sixth. 



The SLUGGARDS {Agornithes) are remarkable for the bristle-like feathers that form a kind of 

 beard ; an unusually delicate skin, in which the broad, soft, downy feathers grow but loosely ; and still 

 more for their indolent and dreamy disposition. 



The JACAMARS {Galbula) possess a slender body, a long, straight, awl-shaped beak, small 

 delicate feet, with the toes divided into pairs, short wings, and a long tail, composed of strong 

 feathers. The soft, lax plumage, which has a magnificent golden gloss, is replaced by bristles in the 

 region of the beak. The few species of these birds that we are acquainted with occupy the primitive 

 forests of South America, and alike exhibit the same dull and indolent disposition in their manner 

 of life. 



The TRUE JACAMARS are recognisable by their long, thin, high beak, which is slightly 

 curved, and furnished with sharp edges ; the wings, with their fourth and fifth quills longer than the 

 rest, are comparatively long ; the tail, composed of twelve feathers, is long and much graduated ; 

 the two outer toes of the foot are united almost to the tip ; the hinder toe is very small. The 

 plumage is soft and lax. 



THE GREEN JACAMAR. 



The Green Jacamar {Galbula viridis) is of a magnificent golden -green on the breast and 

 mantle, the remainder of the under side is rust-red ; the throat of the male is white, that of the 

 female yellowish red ; the exterior tail-feathers are rust-red, tipped with green ; the eye is brown ; 

 the long, thin beak, the cheek-stripe, and a bare circle round the eye, are black ; the feet a brownish 

 flesh-colour. 



The Jacamar is numerously met with in the forests along the entire coast of Brazil, where, like its 

 congeners, it leads an indolent and monotonous existence among the branches of the most retired 

 parts of the woods, or perches on a shady bush overhanging a piece of water. Should an insect 

 approach, it is instantly seized, and the bird at once returns to its resting-place, and relapses into its 

 usual condition of quiet indifference to everything around, often remaining almost motionless for 

 whole hours at a time. The loud, clear voice of the Jacamar consists of but one note, which is 

 frequently repeated. The eggs are deposited, like those of the Kingfisher, in holes in an over- 

 hanging bank. 



The BUCCOS (Biicconcs) constitute a group of equally indolent birds, inhabiting South America, 

 and are recognisable by their slightly-curved beak, slender legs (with two of the toes turned 

 backwards), moderate-sized wings, and a short tail composed of twelve feathers. The remarkably 

 lax, soft plumage is of a sombre hue, and replaced by bristles about the region of the beak. 



All the members of this group occupy forests, where they live either alone or in pairs ; but rarely 



