BIRDS WITH QUEER BEAKS 
81 
shades of red, blue and green forming the 
colour scheme ; while that of the ariel toucan, 
one of the smaller forms, about the size of a 
jackdaw, is yellow and black. 
That the toucan’s beak is somewhat sensi¬ 
tive may be judged by the fact that the bird 
has been observed to scratch it with its foot. 
Why Nature should have provided such a 
large bill is, however, somewhat of a mystery, 
although the suggestion has been made that 
it enables its owner to reach fruit growing from 
the end of slender twigs that would otherwise 
be inaccessible owing to the weight of the bird. 
The toucan comes from South America, 
and is said to derive its name from two native 
words meaning 44 nose of bone.” This term 
is certainly an appropriate one, but hardly 
so quaint as the description given by one 
writer who designated it as 44 a bird smaller 
than its own beak.” 
It thrives well in captivity, and becomes 
quite tame. When roosting, the bird tucks 
its enormous beak beneath its wing, and, to 
ensure an extra degree of comfort, then turns 
its tail over upon its back to act as a blanket. 
For the acme of grotesqueness in bill 
development, we may well introduce the 
reader to the shoebill or whale-headed heron, 
a bird that looks more like the phantom of 
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