CLASS II. AVES: OKDER 2. PASSERKS. 95 
TiLB BUCCO VBESICOLOR. THE RED-THROATED TAMATIA. 
THE BUCCOS, BARBETS, OR PUFF-BIRDS. 
In this group the bill is very stout and conical, and inflated at the base, which is furnished 
with several tufts of strong bristles ; the tip of the upper mandible is curved or hooked ; the nos- 
trils are concealed hj the plumes and bristles of the forehead; the toes are arranged in pairs, in 
the same way as in the scansorial birds, with which they were formerly placed. The name of 
Puff-Birds \?> applied to them from the manner in which their plumage is puffed out, a character 
which gives them a dull, heavy appearance. This aspect is in accordance with their mode of life, 
as they are sohtary and melancholy birds, inhabiting the recesses of the forests of tropical Amer- 
ica, where they perch upon the branches of trees to look out for the insects which constitute their 
food. They are said to perch in the same spot for months together. They also occasionally 
creep upon the bark of trees in search of insects, supporting themselves with the tail-feathers when 
in this position, like the woodpeckers. They nestle in holes of trees. There are several genera 
and many species. 
The Genus BUCCO : Bucco, includes the Buff-faced Barbet, jB. chrysopogon, which is of gray 
plumage, lives in small flocks, and is found in Africa and Asia; also, the B. versicolor, found in 
Sumatra. 
The Genus BARBICAN": Laimodon; this name indicates the resemblance in the species both 
to the Barbets and the Toucans : the Barbary Barbican, L. dubius — Pogonias major of Cuvier 
— is black above and red beneath ; the flanks yellow. It is an exceedingly brilliant bird. 
Genus B ARBACOU : Monasa. — The species of this are of solitary and sedentary habits, and 
resemble the cuckoos. The White-faced Barbacou of Brazil, M. personata, is one of the best 
known species. It is of the size of a thrush. 
The Genus TAMxlTIA : Tamatia, includes the Pied Babbet, T. onacrorhynchos. Swainson 
says: "There is something very grotesque in the appearance of all the puff-birds, and their habits 
in a state of nature are no less singular. They frequent open, cultivated spots near habitations, 
always perching on the withered branches of a low tree, where they will sit nearly motionless for 
hours, unless indeed they descry some luckless insect passing near them, at which they immedi- 
ately dart, returning again to the identical twig they had just left, and which they will sometimes 
