Journey through Colombia and Ecuador. 215 
is most marked when the skins are placed side by side. The 
western bird has the bill yellow with a greenish base and 
the bare skin around the eyes greenish yellow j while the 
eastern bird has the base of the bill blackish and the skin 
around the eyes coral-red. Both have the iris crimson. At 
Santo Domingo and San Nicolas, in Western Ecuador, we 
found these birds very numerous in flocks of from 15 to 20, 
looking remarkably pretty as they skimmed from bush to 
bush without any apparent movement of the wings, their long 
outspread tails shewing the conspicuous white tips down 
each side. They are not forest-frequenting birds, but prefer 
the open hill-sides and neglected clearings. On the eastern 
side of Ecuador we found them plentiful by the Rio Cosanga 
below Baeza, and also by the Coca Eiver. Some of the 
Indians used the tails spread out to form head-dresses. 
473. PiAYA MiNUTA (Vicill.). 
Two males from Santo Domingo. Much rarer than the 
preceding species. Eyelids red ; bill yellow, slightly shaded 
with green. 
-f 474}. COCCYZUS MELANOCORYPHUS (Vicill.). 
Two males and a female from the Coca. These birds are 
solitary in their habits, and frequent the Indian clearings, 
taking their prey on the wing. 
Earn. Rhamphastid^. 
-r-475. Rhamphastos tocard Vieill. 
Although this Toucan was fairly numerous at Santo 
Domingo, we only secured two males during our stay there. 
It was very shy and kept to the highest trees, generally 
in flocks of from eight to a dozen. Iris pale blue, bare skin 
round the eye yellowish green ; lower mandible black, 
upper mandible yellow, shaded with blue and green down 
the centre. The Ecuadorians call these birds "Predica- 
dores '' or ^' Dios-te-de." 
476. Rhamphastos cuvieri WagL 
A series of males and females from the Rio Napo, where 
they were extremely numerous. This was remarkable, for 
