298 
TROPICAL NATURE 
m 
than are exhibited in their beautifully-coloured plates, of the 
endless ways in which the most glaring and inharmonious 
colours are often combined in natural objects with a generally 
pleasing result. 
We will next group together three families which, although 
quite distinct, may be said to represent each other in their 
respective countries, — the toucans of America, the plantain- 
eaters of Africa, and the hornbills of the East, — all being 
large and remarkable birds, and certain to attract the tra- 
veller’s attention. The toucans are the most beautiful on 
account of their large and richly-coloured bills, their delicate 
breast-plumage, and the varied bands of colour with which 
they are often adorned. Though feeding chiefly on fruits, 
they also devour birds’ eggs and young birds ; and they are 
remarkable for the strange habit of sleeping with the tail laid 
flat upon their backs, in what seems a most unnatural and 
inconvenient position. What can be the use of their enor- 
mous bills has been a great puzzle to naturalists, the only 
tolerably satisfactory solution yet arrived at being that sug- 
gested by Mr. Bates, — that it simply enables them to reach 
fruit at the ends of slender twigs which, owing to their weight 
and clumsiness, they would otherwise be unable to obtain. 
At first sight it appears very improbable that so large and 
remarkable an organ should have been developed for such a 
purpose ; but we have only to suppose that the original 
toucans had rather large and thick bills, not unlike those of 
the barbets (to which group they are undoubtedly allied), and 
that as they increased in size and required more food, only 
those could obtain a sufficiency whose unusually large beaks 
enabled them to reach farthest. So large and broad a bill as 
they now possess would not be required; but the develop- 
ment of the bill naturally went on as it had begun, and, so 
that it was light and handy, the large size was no disadvantage 
if length was obtained. The plantain-eaters of Africa are less 
remarkable birds, though adorned with rich colours and 
elegant crests. The hornbills, though less beautiful than the 
toucans, are more curious, from the strange forms of their 
huge bills, which are often adorned with ridges, knobs, or 
recurved horns. They are bulky and heavy birds, and during 
flight beat the air with prodigious force, producing a rushing 
