I 
HAlRY-BREASTED BARBET . — Laimodon Hirsuties. 
The Barbets form one of the groups into which the birds of the woodpecker 
tribe are divided. 
The Hairy-Breasted Barbet is, perhaps, the most curious of all the Barbets, 
on account of the peculiarity from which it derives its name. The feathers of 
the breast are much stiffer than the others, and more sharply pointed ; the 
shafts of the lower breast-feathers are devoid of web, and project to the distance 
of nearly an inch from the rest of the plumage, looking as if a number of long 
curved bristles had been inserted among the plumage. 
All the Barbets possess strong and conical beaks, surrounded with bristles at 
the base, and their stiff tail-feathers enable them to support their bodies while 
they are perched upon the upright trunk of the tree on which they are seeking 
their insect food. They are all found in tropical climates, and the greater 
number, among which the present species may be included, are natives of 
Western Africa. 
In their habits they are said to be rather slow and sluggish birds, not pos- 
sessed of the fiery vivacity which distinguishes the true woodpeckers, and their 
food is not so wholly of an insect nature. The wings and tail are short, and all 
the species are of small dimensions. 
The general colour of this bird is brown on the upper parts of the body, 
spotted with sulphur-yellow, a round mark of that tint being found on the end 
of each feather. The head, chin, and part of the throat are black, and there is 
one white stripe behind the eye, and another running from the angle of the 
mouth down the neck. The quill-feathers of the wings are deep brown, edged 
with sulphur-yellow. 
m 
K 
