TOUCAN. 287 



Inhabits Guiana and Brazil ; has obtained the name of Preacher* 

 from the noise it makes with the tongue ; it feeds generally on fruits, 

 but is easily tamed, and in that state will eat almost any thing that 

 is offered to it.f One which Albin observed in England, seemed 

 more fond of grapes than any other fruit ; for being plucked from the 

 stalk, and tossed to it, the bird would most dexterously catch them in 

 the air, before they fell to the ground. $ This author adds, that the 

 flesh of the whole body was of a deep violet. § 



7— COLLARED TOUCAN. 



Rampliast. torquatus, Ind.Orn.'i. 137. Gm.Lin.i. 354. 



Tucana Mexicana torquata, Bris. iv. 421. Id. 8vo. ii. 161. 



Cochitenacatl, Fern. Hist. JV. Hisp. 46. ch. i. 60. 



Le Cochicat, Buf. vii. 124. 



Collared Toucan, Gen. St/n. i. 330. Shaw's Zool. viii. 396. 



LENGTH eighteen inches; bill seven. Upper mandible whitish, 

 the lower black; hides reddish yellow; head and neck behind black ; 

 at the back part of the neck a collar of red ; beyond this the neck is 

 also black; the fore part of it whitish, marked with spots of red, and 

 slender lines of black ; the back, wings, and tail, are black ; the 

 belly green ; lower part of the belly and under tail coverts red ; 

 thighs purple ; legs greenish ash. 



This inhabits Mexico, near the sea shore. 



* This name has been given from its custom of perching at the top of a tree, above its 

 companions, whilst they are asleep, and making a noise resembling ill-articulated sounds ; 

 moving to the right and left, in order to keep the birds of prey from seizing the others.— 

 I'lloa's Voy. Engl. Ed. Svo. i. p. 56. 



f Thevet, who is the first that mentioned this bird, says that it feeds on pepper, of 

 which it often swallows so much, as to be obliged to reject part of it again ; but it is well 

 known that no pepper, usually so called, grows in South America, therefore it most likely 

 is capsicum, which is called pepper there, and in the West Indies. 



J Dr. Plott mentions one that was found within two miles of Oxford, in 1644, which we 

 suspect to be a bird escaped from confinement in a cage.— Hist, of Oxfordsli. p. 178. 



§ This has been observed in most of the species. 



