HOW THE TOUCAN SLEEPS . 
373 , 
There exists a very interesting account of an Ariel Toucan and its habits, which has been 
frequently quoted, but is so graphic a description that any work of this nature would be. 
incomplete without it. It is given by a gentleman fond of birds : — 
“After looking at the bird which was the object of my visit, and which was apparently in 
the highest state of health, I asked the proprietor to bring up a little bird, that I might see 
how the Toucan would be affected by its appearance. He soon returned, bringing with him a 
goldfinch, a last year’ s bird ; the instant he introduced his hand with the goldfinch into the 
cage of the Toucan, the latter, which was on a perch, snatched it with his bill. The poor little 
bird had only time to utter a short, weak cry, for within a second it was dead — killed by com- 
pression on the sternum and abdomen, and that so powerful, that the bowels were protruded 
after a very few squeezes of the Toucan’ s bill. 
“As soon as the goldfinch was dead, the Toucan hopped with it still in his bill to another 
perch, and placing it with his bill between his right foot and the perch, began to strip off the 
feathers with his bill. When he had plucked away most of them, he broke the bones of the 
wings and legs (still holding the little bird in the same position) with his bill, taking the limbs 
therein, and giving at the same time a strong lateral wrench. He continued this work with 
great dexterity till he had almost reduced the bird to a shapeless mass ; and ever and anon he 
would take his prey from the perch in his bill, and hop from perch to perch, making at the 
same time a peculiar hollow, clattering noise ; at which times I observed that his bill and wings 
were affected with a vibratory or shivering motion, though the latter were not expanded. 
“He would then return the bird to the perch with his bill, and set his foot on it ; he first 
ate the viscera, and then continued pulling off and swallowing piece after piece, till the head, 
neck, and part of the sternum, with tlieir soft parts, were alone left. These, after a little more 
wrenching while they were held on the perch, and mastication, as it were, while they were 
held in the bill, he at last swallowed, not even leaving the beak or legs of his prey. The last 
part gave him most trouble ; but it was clear that he felt great enjoyment, for whenever he 
raised his prey from the perch he appeared to exult, now masticating the morsel with his 
toothed bill, and applying his tongue to it, now attempting to gorge it, and now making the 
peculiar clattering noise, accompanied by the shivering motion above mentioned. The whole 
operation, from the time of seizing his prey to that of devouring the last morsel, lasted about 
a quarter of an hour ; he then cleansed his bill from the feathers, by rubbing it against the 
perches and bars of his cage. 
“While on this part of the subject, it may be as well to mention another fact which 
appears to me not unworthy of notice. I have more than once seen him return his food some 
time after he had taken it into his crop, and after masticating the morsel for awhile in his bill, 
again swallow it ; the whole operation, particularly the return of the food to the bill, bearing 
a strong resemblance to the analogous action in ruminating animals. The food on which I saw 
him so employed was a piece of beef, which had evidently been macerated some time in his 
crop. While masticating it, he made the same hollow, clattering noise as he made over the 
remains of the goldfinch. 
“Previous to this operation he had examined his feeding trough, in which there was 
nothing but bread, which I saw him take up and reject, and it appeared to me that he was thus 
reduced from necessity to the above mode of solacing his palate with animal food. His food 
consists of bread, boiled vegetables, eggs, and flesh, to which a little bird is now added about 
every second or third day. He shows a decided preference for animal food, picking out 
all morsels of that description, and not resorting to the vegetable diet till all the former is 
exhausted.” 
■** 
When settling itself to sleep, the Toucan packs itself up in a very systematic manner, sup- 
porting its huge beak by resting it on its back, and tucking it completely among the feathers, 
while it doubles its tail across its back, just as if it moved on a spring hinge. So completely 
is the bill hidden among the feathers, that hardly a trace of it is visible in spite of its great 
size and bright color, and the bird when sleeping looks like a great ball of loose feathers. 
