36 THE NATURAL HISTORY 
‘GENuS 6. RAMPHASTOS. 
THe TOFU CA N, 
~The Toucan’s beak is very large, hollow, convex, and 
toothed like a faw on the edge, but irregularly. 
_ The noftrils are behind the bafe of the beak. 
~ The tongue is fringed like a feather. 
In moft, two of its toes are placed before and two be. 
hind, for ge Fos 
NE kind of the Toucans is about the fize 
of a Magpie, the head is very large, in 
order to fupport its bill; though the bill is very 
Jight, and not much thicker than parchment. 
Between the head andthe bill is a black line, 
and there the noftrils are placed; but they are fo 
covered with feathers, that fome have. thought 
that the Toucans breathed through their beaks, 
and had no noftrils at all. : 
It lives chiefly upon the pimento, which it ig 
very fond of, and it will eat fruit. 
A Toucan was brought up tame; it was fed 
in the fame manner as a Parrot; grapes were its 
favourite food ; if they were pulled off the bunch 
and thrown into the air, it would catch them be- 
fore they reached the ground, | 
If 
