340 , ANIMALS OF ECA. Chap. Y. 
siderable weight ; all animals, therefore, which feed upon 
fruit, or on insects contained in flowers, must, of course, 
have some means of reaching the ends of the stalks from 
a distance. Monkeys obtain their food by stretching 
forth their long arms and, in some instances, their tails, 
to bring the fruit near to their mouths. Humming- 
birds are endowed with highly-perfected organs of 
flight, with corresponding muscular development, by 
which they are enabled to sustain themselves on the 
wing before blossoms whilst rifling them of their con- 
tents. These strong-flying creatures, however, will, 
whenever they get a chance, remain on their perches 
whilst probing neighbouring flowers for insects. Tro- 
gons have feeble wings, and a dull, inactive tempera- 
ment. Their mode of obtaining food is to station 
themselves quietly on low branches in the gloomy 
shades of the forest, and eye the fruits on the sur- 
rounding trees, darting off, as if with an effort, every 
time they wish to seize a mouthful, and returning to 
the same perch. Barbets (Capitoninse) seem to have 
no especial endowment, either of habits or structure, 
to enable them to seize fruits ; and in this respect they 
are similar to the Toucans, if we leave the bill out of 
question, both tribes having heavy bodies, with feeble 
organs of flight, so that they are disabled from taking 
their food on the wing. The purpose of the enormous 
bill here becomes evident. Barbets and Toucans are 
very closely related ; indeed a genus has lately been 
discovered towards the head waters of the Amazons,* 
* Tetragonops. Dr. Sclater has lately given a figure of this bird in 
the Ibis, vol. iii. p. 182. 
