344 PLANTAIN-EATER. 



Good Hope, but difficult to be shot, perching only at the extremities 

 of the highest branches of trees, out of gunshot, rarely suffering any 

 one to approach ; it feeds on fruits only ; is easily caught alive, by 

 snares baited with those in season, and esteemed good food, and when 

 fricasseed, thought to be superior to the Pintado or Partridge. Mr. 

 Barrow met with it about the forests of Kakaberg, as well as in 

 KafFer-Land. 



A.— Touraco d'Abyssinie, Btif. vi. 301. 



This differs in having a blackish crest, hanging behind as a lock; 

 forehead, throat, and round the neck grass green ; breast, and upper 

 part of the back the same, with a tinge of olive, varying to 

 purplish brown ; wing coverts, and second quills green ; the greater 

 crimson, edged with black. 



Inhabits Abyssinia. In a sketch of one of these, by Mr. Salt, 

 the tail was long, and the wings reach only to the base ; round the 

 eye bare and red, carunculated. This was from Taranta. 



1 have seen several of these birds alive in England, and observe 

 the eye to be uncommonly brilliant, the crest always erect, and the 

 bird in general very lively ; one of them had not the white stripes 

 above and beneath the eyes, but obtained them after the first moult, 

 and the crest became of one green colour. In this climate it will 

 subsist on grapes, apples, oranges, or any other fruits. 



Scopoli mentions the variation of colour, and that it has a notch 

 at the end of the upper mandible, as in the Shrike ; this has escaped 

 my observation. That in the pi. enlum. is white round the eye, with 

 a streak behind it ; the crest tipped with white, and half erect ; the 

 middle quills alone red ; thighs, vent, and legs black ; such an one 

 is among Mr. Woodford's drawings, and the toes placed three 

 before and one behind, but this is no singularity, as one I particularly 

 observed alive, had the faculty of placing the toes in both situ- 

 ations. 



