284 TOUCAN. 



4 — BRASILIAN TOUCAN. 



Ramptiastos piscivorus,* Ind.Om.i. 136. Lin.i. 151. Gm.Lin.\. 355. 

 Tucana Brasiliensis gutture albo, Bris.lv. 413. Id. 8vo. ii. 158. 

 Xochitenacatl tertia, Rati. Syn. 178. 



Toucan, orBrasilian Pye, Ediv. pi. 164. Bauer. Guian. 163. 



Brasilian Toucan, Gen. 5y». i. 327. Nat. Misc. pi. 1 S3. Gent. Mag. xlii. pi. in p. 505. 

 Shaw's Zool. viii. 363. 



THIS bird is twenty-one inches in length, of which the bill is 

 six, and two inches thick at the base. The upper mandible is pale 

 yellow green ; the under tine blue ; the edges of both serrated, and 

 of an orange-colour, with the points scarlet ; irides hazel, surrounded 

 with a bare greenish yellow skin ; the plumage in general of the 

 upper parts is black ; sides of the head, throat, and breast, cream- 

 colour ; belly black ; between the two, on the breast, a tine red 

 crescent ; upper tail coverts white, the under pale red ; legs light 

 blue. 



Mr. Edwards, from whom the above description was taken, saw 

 this bird alive at Mr. Concannan's ; and remarks, that after death the 

 bill faded much, and the space round the eyes turned black ; it was 

 said to have been brought from the Spanish Main. 



Bancroft says, that the base of the upper mandible is yellow, of 

 the under purple, and the sides of both scarlet ; the head black, 

 with two white spots near the upper mandible ; the whole plumage 

 black, except the breast, which is white, and a crescent of red 

 thereon. 



* Fish-eating Toucan.— Linnaeus no doubt gave it this name from the authority of old 

 authors, aud might have thought himself justified so to do, when he saw one of the species 

 feed on fish in a cage ; but the swallowing of fish in a state of confinement cannot be a proof 

 of its doing so when at large, any more than in Parrots, who will eat both flesh and fish, 

 when kept tame ; indeed, there is one circumstance which may give rise to the conjecture, 

 which is, that Toucans are frequently met with near water; but it is the fruits growing in 

 such places, and not the fish, which entice them. 



