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CASSELLS BOOK OF BIRDS. 



but in some respects exhibit considerable foresight and prudence, and though extremely timid in their 

 intercourse with man, associate freely with their feathered brethren. They feed principally upon 

 leaves, buds, fruit, berries, and com, and for this reason they usually inhabit such localities as are 

 well watered and rich in various kinds of trees. We are unacquainted with any particulars of their 

 incubation, except that the nest is usually built in the hollow trunk of a tree, that the eggs are white, 

 and that the young remain for a considerable time under the care of their parents. 



THE BANANA. EATER. 

 The Banana Eater (Musofthaga violacca) is met with in the forests of Agra, upon the Gold Coast, 

 and is replaced by a very similar bird in Western Africa. This species is distinct from its congeners 





THE BANANA eater (MusoJ>haga violacea). 



by the peculiar formation of its beak, the upper mandible being covered for a considerable extent by 

 a horny plate, which is also spread over a large portion of the forehead ; the beak itself is very 

 powerful, and arched broadly from the brow to the tip, where it terminates in a slight hook, projecting 

 over the somewhat feeble inferior mandible ; the edges of the bill are indented, and the nostrils are 

 situated in the fore part of the upper beak. The bridles and a patch around the eyes are quite bare ; 

 the wings are of medium length, their secondary quills longer than the primaries ; the tail is com- 

 paratively short, broad and rounded at its extremity ; the feet are short but powerful. Swainson 

 speaks in glowing terms of the beauty of this species — he regards it as truly a king among birds, and 

 describes its plumage as being principally of a rich, lustrous, purple black, the splendour of which 

 is enhanced by the contrast presented by its magnificent bright red wings ; the beak is also very 

 striking in appearance, being of a bright yellow, shading into brilliant red. The soft and delicate 

 feathers which cover the top of the head resemble brilliant red velvet ; the rest of the plumage is 



