NATURAL HISTORY. 94 

BIRDS of the PIE KIND. pe 

"Tuts clafs of birds, though not formed for war,. 
delight in mifchief, and are. perpetually harraffin 
other birds, without the leaft apparent enmity ; an 
includes all that noify, reffiefs, chattering tribe, from 
the raven to the woodpecker, which ‘hover about 
our habitations, and make free with the fruits of our 
- induftry. ape 
Though they contribute the leaft of any birds to 
the pleaftires or neceflities of man, they are as re- 
markable for inftinct, as for their capacity to receive 
inftruction ; cunning and archinefs are peculiar to the 
whole tribe. They have hoarfe voices, flender bod- 
ies and a facility of flight which baffles the purfuit of 
all the rapacious kind. Of this clafs we feleét the 
following, as moft deferving our attention. 
TOUCAN, 
W atcn in fize and fhape refembles a Jackdaw, 
has a remarkable large head, to fupport an enormous 
bill, which, from the angles of the mouth te the point, 
extends fix inches and a half in length, and upwards 
of two inchés in breadth, in the broadeft part, not 
much thicker than parchment. Some naturalifts have 
thought, but ety that the toucan had no 
a 
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