BEING LOST IN THE FOREST. 47 
By-and-by he was better off ; for he came 
to some cocoa-nut trees, growing in a cluster, 
on the river's bank. Hundreds of parrots, 
with bright green, yellow, and red plumage, 
were flying about amongst the branches, and 
kept up such a harsh screaming that they 
almost drove him distracted ; and there 
were numbers of brilliantly - dressed birds, 
with bills as large as their bodies, and that 
looked so heavy, you wondered how they could 
carry them. These were the toucans, and so 
far from being incommoded by the weight of 
their bills, they were hopping about as nimbly 
as the parrots. In fact, the bill is very light, 
and consists of a delicate network of bone, 
covered over with a horny coating. The 
tongue is long and narrow, and as stiff as 
whalebone; it is fringed on each side with 
filaments, so as to look like a feather, and can 
be darted several inches beyond the bill. 
The toucan feeds upon fruit and spices, but 
he is not satisfied with a wliolly vegetable diet. 
He devours mice and smaller birds, and has 
a great liking for eggs, cunningly driving 
away the parents, and then regaling himself 
on the contents of the nest. When he seizes 
