380 The Hijtory of A N I M A L S» 
they fly \ when tamed, they learn to imitate the voice very readily, and do it very 
agreeably. Many of the writers on birds have defcribed this fpecies. Bontius was 
the firft; ■ he has only called it Pflttacus parvus, and from him Ray, Willughby, and 
others have called it Pflttacus parvus Bondi. 
Pfutacus totus niger. 
The wholly black Pflttacus. 
This is a very Angular fpecies, and, though of one Ample colour, is not without it’s 
beauty; it is of the flze of our thrufh: the head is large, round, and prominent on 
the crown; the beak is very large; the under chap is ftraight, but the upper one is 
much larger and longer than that, and is rounded on the back, and very hooked at the 
point, turning over the other a great way, fo that in the whole it is almoft of a femi- 
lunar figure: it is of a deep black colour, but the membrane which covers it’s bafe is 
of a dark grey : in this are placed the nofirils; they are two fmall round apertures 
near one another, and fituated at the bafe of the .membrane. 
The head and the whole body, as alfo the wings and tail, are all of a deep and 
very glofly black, without any the leaft variegation ; but the feathers are fo glofly, and 
lie in fuch regular and perfedt order, that there is great beauty in the form and difpo- 
fition of them, and a peculiar look of cleannefs about the bird. 
The tail is very long and narrow, and is of the fame deep black with the reft of 
the bird : the legs are moderately long, and not fo robuft and clumfy as in the ge¬ 
nerality of the Parrots; they are of & deep iron grey, almoft approaching to black; 
the toes are long and flender, and the claws are long, black, and (harp. 
This is a native of South America; it is very common in the woods there, and 
makes a very clamorous noife. Marcgrave has defcribed it; he calls it Pflttaco con¬ 
gener avi Brafilienfium; and others have borrowed the fame name. 
BIRDS. 
Clafs the Seco?icl. 
« . 
P I C JE. 
Birds which have the beak convex and comprejfed 1 
RAMPHASTOS. 
T H E beak of the Ramphaftos is very remarkably large. In moft fpecies it is 
equal to the whole body in magnitude ; there are no vifible noftrils: the feet 
Pave each four toes, two of which ftand forward, and the other two backward, as in 
the parrot. 
Ramphaftos urrhopigio coccineo. 
The Ramphaftos, with a red rump. 
This is an extreamly Angular bird; it is of the bignefs of our magpy, or hardly 
quite fo large : the head is large, and is rounded at the fides, but fomewhat depreffed 
on the crown : the eyes are very large, and ftand in the middle of the head; they 
have a very piercing afpedt, and are of a Angular ftrudture ; the iris, properly fo 
called, is yellow, but within this there is a circle of a filvery white furrounding the 
pupil, which is coal black, large, and round. 
The 
A 
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