ORNITHOLOGY. 



593 



Insessores. and proportions rather awkward than elegant, but almost all 

 ■*— — v""-' remarkable for great splendour of plumage. The size and 

 length of the bill are usually disproportioned to the body, 

 and the feet and legs seem of a diminutive and apparently 

 inconvenient form ; but the shining silky lustre of the fea- 

 thers, and their rich and infinitely varied hues of the most 

 brilliant green and blue, contrasted with different shades of 

 orange, black, and brown, render the genus one of the most 

 showy and attractive within the entire range of the ornitho- 

 logical system. The Alcedo ispida (our common king-fisher) 

 is the only species which occurs in Europe, and it yields to 

 few of its brethren in its lustrous beauty. It is one of the 

 rarest, and certainly the most highly adorned, of all our 

 resident species. It haunts the banks of lakes and rivers, 

 building in hollows near their margin, and preys chiefly on 

 small fish, on which it darts with the rapidity of an arrow, 

 plunging its little gem-like body for one flashing moment 

 in the crystal stream. 



Certain modifications observable in the form of the bill, 

 and accompanied, as usual, by a corresponding change of 

 habits, have induced the division of the original genus. 

 For example, we owe to Dr Leach the formation of the 

 genus Dacelo, of which the type is the giant king-fisher 

 of New Holland (A. gigantea of Latham). The bill is 

 very strong, curved at the extremity, and bulged beneath. 

 These species (called martin-chasseurs by the French) 

 inhabit forests, and build their nests, not in the excavated 

 banks of rivers, but in the hollows of lofty trees ; whereas 

 the true king-fishers (martin-pecheurs) are never found at 

 any distance from the " pure element of waters." The 

 former also feed on insects rather than fish, and, the larger 

 kind especially, are clothed in a dingier and less adorned 

 plumage. 



The one above alluded to (D. gigantea) is described 

 by Mr Bennet as well known to the colonists of New 

 South Wales by the name of laughing or feathered jack- 

 ass, — a designation which occasioned a lady at home to 

 declare, that of all the wonderful productions of Australia, 

 she thought nothing could equal the " feathered donkey." 

 Its peculiar gurgling laugh, commencing in a low and 

 gradually rising to a louder tone, is often heard by travel- 

 lers, proceeding from the branch of some lofty tree, where 

 the bird is watching for its prey. It is said that one sel- 

 dom laughs without being accompanied by another, ap- 

 parently anxious to join in a duet. This bird is respected 

 by Australian gardeners for destroying grubs, &c. ; and 

 Mr Bennet reports, that it also deserves protection on ac- 

 count of its devouring mice and venomous reptiles. " A 

 gentleman told me he was perfectly aware of the bird de- 

 stroying snakes, as he had often seen them carry the rep- 

 tiles to a tree, and break their heads to pieces with their 

 sharp, strong beaks." " One of these birds, seen upon the 

 branch of a tree near a river, looking so stupid, and nod- 

 ding as if asleep, was shot, and it was then found that this 

 peculiar manner proceeded from its having swallowed a 

 small snake, which had got into the stomach, throat, and 

 bill, but had not yet accommodated itself in the former 

 cavity." 1 



A rare and remarkable species, from the Moluccas, 

 with a shorter bill than usual, and a much longer tail, 

 sometimes called the ternate king-fisher (A. dea, Linn.), 

 forms the genus Tanysiptera of Mr Vigors, — while a few 

 small species which either want the inner toe, or possess it 

 in a very rudimentary state, constitute the genus Ceyx of 

 Lacepede. The latter occur in India. Example, A. tri- 

 bachys, Shaw. (Plate CCCXCIV. figs. 5 and 11.) 



The genus Todus contains some small American birds, 

 supposed to resemble the king-fishers in their general 

 form, their feet, and lengthened bills ; but the latter or- 



gan is horizontally depressed, and obtuse at the extremi- Inse3sore? 

 ty, the tarsi are more elevated, and the tail shorter. Their "-—-v -^ 

 habits are insectivorous, and the species, very few in num- 

 ber as the group is now restricted, are by most Ornitho- 

 logists arranged among the Muscicapidoe, near the genera 

 Platyrhynchus and Muscipeta. The best-known, if not 

 the only species, is the green tody ( T. viridis, Linn.). 

 It is found in the Antilles, and some of the equatorial re- 

 gions of South America, where it hunts insects like a fly- 

 catcher, but builds in holes in banks, after the manner of 

 a king-fisher. Its nest is placed in a little chamber at the 

 termination of a tortuous gallery, and both sexes are re- 

 markable for their strong attachment to their young. This 

 delightful bird is named ground-parrakeet by the Creoles 

 of St Domingo. Though not very rare, it usually dwells 

 in wild and solitary places, which is probably the reason 

 of its being by no means frequent in the collections of Eu- 

 rope. The male utters an agreeable song during the pair- 

 ing season, but at other times the green tody is a very 

 silent bird. Its flight is straight and rapid, and it sits at 

 times both on stones and trees. (Plate CCCXCIV. figs. 6, 

 7, and 9.) 



The genus Buceros, which includes the calaos or horn- 

 bills, is the last of the great passerine order in the ar- 

 rangement of Baron Cuvier (Plate CCCXCIV. figs. 8 and 

 10). It certainly differs greatly from those near which he 

 makes it stand, nor does it amalgamate much better with 

 its neighbours in more recent systems. The species are 

 natives of Africa and India, and are characterized by their 

 enormous bills, toothed along their edges, and frequently 

 surmounted by an additional horny structure, which be- 

 stows on them a very striking and peculiar physiognomy. 

 These excrescences vary considerably with the age of the 

 individual, and are scarcely perceptible in the young birds. 

 The horn-bills may be said to resemble the toucans in their 

 heads, the crows in their general habits, and the syndac- 

 tylous tribes in the form of their feet. Their tongue is 

 very small. These birds may be regarded as omnivorous, 

 as they feed indifferently on fruits, mice, small birds, rep- 

 tiles, and even carcasses. They exhibit an awkward and 

 uncommon aspect while in the act of flying, in consequence 

 of the great size of their beaks and lengthened tails, and al- 

 together their appearance is extremely uncouth. Perhaps 

 one of the most singular features in their economy consists 

 in their feeding greedily, and without injury, on the seeds 

 of nux vomica? 



The African horn-bill (B. Africaniis) is entirely black, 

 and nearly as large as a turkey. The crowned species (B. 

 coronatus) is a much smaller bird, scarcely equalling the 

 size of a magpie. Le Vaillant saw a flock of more than 

 five hundred of these birds, in company with crows and 

 vultures, preying on the remains of slaughtered elephants. 

 It is figured by Mr Swainson in the third volume of the 

 first series of his beautiful Illustrations. A large and re- 

 markable Indian species has been of late years described 

 by Mr Hodgson. It measures four feet five inches from 

 tip to tip of the wings, and is three feet six inches in 

 length. Its body exceeds that of the largest raven, but 

 is very lean and incompact. It is believed to feed chiefly 

 on fruits, although it will seize upon reptiles when press- 

 ed by hunger. Its freedom from any offensive smell, and 

 the excellence of its flesh, which is much esteemed as an 

 article of food, go far to prove that its habits are chiefly 

 frugivorous. In a domestic state it will eat meat either 

 raw or dressed. Mr Hodgson's specimen, however, was 

 fed mostly on boiled rice, mixed with ghee, and made into 

 large balls. It was never observed to take any water. 

 Whenever it swallowed a mouthful which on second 

 thoughts it considered as somewhat too large, it imme- 



Wanderings in New South Wales, i. 222. 



Edinburgh Cabinet Library, British India, iii. 90. 



