32 
THE BEAK. 
moment when old birds leave their nests, when down they 
pounce, and feed on the young ones, and even contest a 
prize with the monkeys. How skilfully, and at the same 
time how powerfully he can use this apparently awkward 
and cumbrous hill of his, we learn from the way in which 
a Toucan, which was for some years kept in the Museum of 
the Zoological Gardens in London, disposed of a small bird. 
The moment the owner of the Toucan introduced his hand 
with the small bird into the cage, the Toucan, which was 
on its perch, snatched it with its hill. The poor little 
bird was dead in an instant, killed by the violence of the 
squeeze. As soon as it was dead, the Toucan hopped with 
it still in its hill to another perch, and then placing it with 
his hill between his right foot and the perch, began to strip 
off the feathers. When he had plucked away most of them, 
he broke the hones 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 body to a shapeless mass. He at 
first ate all the soft parts, leaving the larger hones to the 
last, which seemed to give him more trouble, particularly the 
beak and legs. 
Beaks of Hoxnbills.* 
In the Buceros or Hornbill, the beak is equally mon- 
strous, and rendered still more hideously disproportioned 
by the addition of a large naked bony protuberance on the 
* Buceros Yiolaceus, and Rhinoceros. 
