fi m he apparel t dis yropor SG inely cl umsy shape oO the bird Ss O I is g us,
0 | Pp } } ] 7 - 11S en

Pp yea 1Ce not n y (Ort c cefu 9 > S I ’ 5 T t "re
a dlc Z ts A 3 72 2S ,

: +h so, as to have suggested to an intelligent friend who patnessed them, the speouG name
sylph-like ; so ane a = a himself in beautiful plumage ; his lighter colours being strikingly
I have ventured to assign ue pu: cal oe in particular, being always bright and glossy. For this fine
vivid, and the deep black of his Be eee are panes Every day he immerses himself
condition he a to be meee Me a aiin co cei adc eee ape
j vater with apparen a > ;
- eae et, ee his own warm climate to our uncongenial Se

ae Baers ise, he utters at times a hoarse and somewhat discordant cry, when he

“* Besides a hollow clattering noise, he a ; * hiesstaroeeee
happens to be hungry, and to see his food about to be presetiad ko hin ; oe a ae | ste 3 . ecm
raising his head in the air, and half opening the bill as he emits a en These are the ae ae have
heard him utter, and in neither can I say that I have detected ay sunnulesatty, or even approach to the word
Toucan, as has sometimes been asserted, and from whence the inne oe of the genus has been Supposed
to originate. Neither have I been able to verify another San has pe agence es necunr,
these birds, that the bill is compressible between the fingers in the ee Ee The bill, SE Sa
the lightness of its substance, is firm, and capable of grasping an object wit Se strength. The mode in
which Mr. Broderip describes his Toucan as having broken the ules of the bird which he was about to
devour, by ‘a strong lateral wrench,’ sufficiently shows that the bill is oO deficient in oe Indeed, I
observe that my bird generally takes what is offered him, rather by the sides than by the Pomme of ns bill ;
and I suspect that much of the powers of that member are centred in this lateral motion. The serration of
the edges also may be supposed to tend to these peculiar powers.

‘“T have not allowed it to be indulged in that disposition to animal food, which so strikingly belongs to
this family ; I find, in fact, that it thrives sufficiently well upon a vegetable diet, and I fear that if it should
once be allowed any other, it would be difficult to restrain its inclination for it within moderate limits.
Eggs are the only animal food with which it has been supplied since it came into my possession. Of these
it is particularly fond; and they are generally mixed up in his ordinary food, which consists’ of bread, rice,
potatoes, German paste, and similar substances. He delights in fruits of all kinds. During the period
when these were fresh, he fed almost exclusively on them ; and even in the winter months he exhibits great
gratification in being offered pieces of apples, oranges, or preserved fruits of any description. These he
generally holds for a short time at the extremity of his bill, touching them with apparent delight with his
slender and feathered tongue, and then conveying them by a sudden upward jerk to his throat, where they
are caught and instantly swallowed. His natural propensity for preying upon animals, although not indulged,
is still strongly conspicuous: when another bird approaches his cage, or even a skin or preserved specimen
is presented to him, he exhibits considerable excitement. He raises himself up, erects his feathers, and
h seems to be the usual expression of delight in these birds ; the irides
of his eyes at the same time expand, and he seems ready to dart upon his
mitted his approach.

utters a hollow clattering sound, whic
prey, if the bars of his cage per-

“« Since the cold weather has commenced, he has been broue

ght into a room with a fire, and the unusual
light seems to have interfered with his general habits ; he does not 80 to rest so early or as regularly as was
his custom; and he sometimes feeds even at a late hour. During the warmer months, however, when he

was more free from interruption, his habits were singularly regular. As the dusk of the evening approached,
he finished his last meal for the day, took a few turns, as if for exercise after his meal, round ae perches of
his cage, and then settled himself on the highest perch, disposing himself almost at the moment he alighted on
it with his head drawn in between his shoulders, and his tail turned vertically over his back. In this pores
he generally remained about two hours, in a st aking ; his eyes for the most part

closed, but opening on the sli htest j : : °
I g ightest intert ould allow himself to be handled, and

ae red him, without altering his posture further than by agentle
his al to be replaced by the hand in its natural downward posture,
Meena. i” vertical position. In these movements the tail seemed to
ally to turn his bill over his rj i a oe oe ae pee pas gee

g the feathers of his back, sometimes con-
aving a slight portion of the culmen exposed. At

and those of the thj
assuming the appear

ate between sleeping and w

uption. At such times he Ww
would even take any favourite food that was offe

turn of the head. He would also suffer
and would then immediately retur

a spring.

ght shoulder, and to nestle it
cealing it completely within the plum
the same time he drooped the fe
legs and feet; and thus nearly
against all exposure to cold.” _

age, at other times le
athers of his wing
c :

2g gh-coverts, SO as to encompass the

ance of an oval ball of feathers, he secured himself

The figures are of the natural size.