RAMPHASTOS D1COLORUS. 



giving at the same time a strong lateral wrench. He continued this work 

 with great dexterity till he had almost reduced the bird to a shapeless 

 mass ; and, ever and anon, he would take his prey from the perch in his 

 bill, and hop from perch to perch, making at the same time a peculiar hol- 

 low clattering noise, at which times I observed that his bill and wings were 

 affected with a vibratory or shivering motion, though the latter were not ex- 

 panded. He would then return the bird to the perch with his bill, and set 

 his foot on it. He first ate the viscera, and continued pulling off and swal- 

 lowing piece after piece, till the head, neck, and part of the back and ster- 

 num, with their soft parts, were alone left : these, after a little more wrench- 

 ing, while they were held on the perch, and mastication, as it were, while 

 they were held in the bill, he at last swallowed, not even leaving the beak 

 or legs of his prey. The last part gave him the most trouble ; but it was 

 clear to me that he felt great enjoyment ; for, whenever he raised his prey 

 from the perch, he appeared to exult, now masticating the morsel with his 

 toothed bill, and applying his tongue to it, now attempting to gorge it, and 

 now making the peculiar clattering noise, accompanied by the shivering 

 motion above mentioned. The whole operation, from the time of seizing 

 his prey, to that of devouring the last morsel, lasted about, a quarter of an 

 hour. He then cleaned his bill from the feathers, by rubbing it against 

 the perches and bars of his cage." 



Fruits are devoured much in the same way, though nothing is retained 

 with such apparent delight, or for so long a period, as animal food ; and 

 in their wild state, during the season of incubation, we should think that 

 young birds plundered from the nest, and eggs, formed their chief sus- 

 tenance. These they cannot procure at any other time, and the rich fruits 

 and berries so abundant in their native regions must be substituted. In 

 a state of confinement, they are active and lively, and soon become tame. 

 A beautiful species is now alive in the possession of our friend and 

 coadjutor Mr Vigors, which is peculiarly gentle and tractable, suffers 

 himself to be played with, and feeds from the hand. This bird is fed en- 

 tirely on vegetable diet, with the occasional variation of a boiled egg ; and 

 nothing can exceed the beauty and brightness of his plumage. He is ex- 

 tremely fond of washing, and enjoys it even in very severe weather : in 

 other respects he is remarkably hardy. 



The manner in which the birds of this genus compose themselves to. 

 rest, is another curious trait in their economy ; and the care with which 

 they try to protect their bill from the cold of the nights, or other injury, 



