SECOND JOURNEY. 



101 



kill the young of other birds, or touch carrion. The 

 larger is called Bouradi by the Indians, (which means 

 nose,) the other, Scirou. They seem partial to each 

 other's company, and often resort to the same feeding- 

 tree, and retire together to the same shady noon-day 

 retreat. They are very noisy in rainy weather at all hours 

 of the day, and in fair weather, at morn and eve. The 

 sound which the bouradi makes, is like the clear yelping 

 of a puppy dog, and you fancy he says a pia-po-o-co," and 

 thus the South American Spaniards call him Piapoco. 



All the toucanets feed on the same trees on which the 

 toucan feeds, and every species of this family of enor- 

 mous bill lays its eggs in the hollow trees. They are 

 social, but not gregarious. You may sometimes see 

 eight or ten in company, and from this you would 

 suppose they are gregarious ; but, upon a closer exami- 

 nation, you will find it has only been a dinner party, 

 which breaks up and disperses towards roosting time. 



You will be at a loss to conjecture for what ends 

 nature has overloaded the head of this bird with such an 

 enormous bill. It cannot be for the offensive, as it has 

 no need to wage war with any of the tribes of animated 

 nature ; for its food is fruits and seeds, and those are 

 in superabundance throughout the whole year in the 

 regions where the toucan is found. It can hardly be 

 for the defensive, as the toucan is preyed upon by no 

 bird in South America, and were it obliged to be at 

 war, the texture of the bill is ill adapted to give or 

 receive blows, as you will see in dissecting it. It can- 

 not be for any particular protection to the tongue, as 

 the tongue is a perfect feather. 



- ^ k t ^ ne flight of the toucan is by jerks ; in 

 g ' the action of flying it seems incommoded by 



