576 
PICARIAN BIRDS. 
Toco Toucan. 
Aracari Toucans. 
The general colour of this bird (Rhamphastus toco) is black, with 
a broad white band across the rump; the under surface of the body 
is also black, with the vent crimson; the throat is white, fading into yellow on 
the neck, and followed by a crimson band on the fore-neck. The length is nearly 
2 feet, and the bill is nearly 6| inches long. It has a very wide distribution in 
South America, being found from Guiana to the Lower Amazon, and extending 
through Brazil and Bolivia to Argentina. Mr. White met with it near Oran, 
frequenting the high forest trees in large flocks. 
Of the smaller-billed toucans, some of the best known are the 
so-called aracaris ( Pteroglossus ); and an incident recorded by Mr. 
Stolzmann, during his travels in Peru, shows how difficult these birds are to see in 
their forest surroundings, his experience being very similar to that of Bates with the 
curl-crested toucan (P. beauharnasi ) on the Amazon. Stolzmann says that when 
procuring a pair of the yellow-billed aracari (P. flcivirostris), or yurimaguas, he fired 
in a high tree at a bird, which uttered some piercing cries as it fell, and in a moment 
he was surrounded by ten of the birds, keeping up a fearful din. On a second shot 
being fired, they all disappeared. This circumstance proves, as he says, that although 
only one individual can be seen, it does not follow that there are no more in the 
neighbourhood, as they are, in fact, always in little troops, according to the general 
habit of toucans in Peru. 
R. BOWDLER SHARPE. 
LESSER SLOTTED WOODPECKER. 
