RAMPHASTOS ARIEL, Fiz.

Ariel Toucan.

SpPEcIFIC CHARACTER.

“ 2 oO - . y a af. 5 . Wy 5 a 7 %
Ramph. rostro nigro ; fascead basal aurantia, culmine ad basin ceeruleo ; gula, genis, guttureque

aurantio-lutets, hujus margine inferiore sulphureo ; crisso uropygroque cocciners.

Male.—Head, back of the neck, back, wings, abdomen and tail black, with a gloss of green on
the back, wings and tail; throat rich deep orange, bounded laterally and below by a line
of sulphur-yellow ; broad crescent-shaped mark across the breast, upper and under tail-
coverts deep blood-red; bill black, with the exception of a broad transversal band of
orange-yellow, and the basal fourth of the culmen, which is blue; orbits deep red ; irides
and legs blue ; the hinder part of the tarsi inclining to lilac; nails black.

Total length, 19 inches ; bell, 43; wing, 7+; tail, 6%; tarsi, 14.

Female—Somewhat less in size, but similar in colour.

Tucana, sive Toucan Brasiliensibus, Marcg. Hist. Bras., p. 217.—Ib. Orig. Drawing in Roy.
Lib. Berl. (J. Natterer.)

Tucana Brasiliensis gutture luteo, Briss. Orn., tom. iv. p. 419. pl. xxxu. fig. 1.

Le Toucan a gorge jaune du Bresil, Buff. Pl. Enl. 307.

Le Toucan de Para de t Amérique méridionale, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., Supp.

Ramphastos Ariel, Vig. in Zool. Journ., vol. i. p. 466.—Gould, Mon. of Ramph., pl. 10.

Temminckit, Wag). Syst. Av., Ramphastos, sp. 10.—Sturm’s Edit. of Gould’s Mon.

 

of Ramph., pl.

 

Tucanus, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. 11. p. 403, Ramphastos, sp. 10.

 

Tur Ramphastos Ariel enjoys a wide range over the eastern portions of Brazil; inhabiting, as it does, all
the countries from the River Amazon to Rio de Janeiro. Considerable difference is found to exist in the
birds from the southern provinces near Rio, and those from the neighbourhood of the Amazon, the latter
being generally of a smaller size, and having the orange of the breast of a redder hue, and the black of

the body more intense ; they cannot, however, be regarded otherwise than as varieties of one and the same

species.

The following note has been kindly sent to me by His Highness the Prince Maximilian of Wied :—

‘«« This species 1s very common in all the great forests and woody chains of mountains in the eastern part
of the Brazils; it usually dwells among the tops of the high trees, flying around and perching upon them,
and there giving forth its whistling voice, which somewhat resembles that of the Missel Thrush ( Zurdus
viscivorus) of Europe. It is very active and lively, and curious withal, its attention being easily drawn to any
it collects in small companies on the approach of a bird of prey, especially an owl, which they

object ;
The bird being very common, we killed many during the day for the sake of the flesh as

attack violently.
This is one of the species, the feathers of which are used as ornaments by the aboriginal in-
s, on the Rio Doce, a battle-chief of the Botocudos with a yellow breast
while the now civilized Tubinampians used the same part of

a viand.
habitants; thus we saw at Linhare
of the bird attached to each end of his bow ;
the bird to decorate either side of their foreheads.”

Mr. Natterer met with this bird not far from Margaritiba, to the south of Rio de Janeiro, on the road to
San Paulo, on the right bank of the Amazon, above the mouth of the Rio Tapajoz, and frequently at Para ; it
appeared to follow the course of the Amazon for a certain distance ; but it was not noticed by him on the
Rio Madeira, Rio Negro, or Rio Branco, where its place was supplied by Ramphastos vitellinus.

A fine individual of this species lived in the possession of the late Mr. Vigors for eight years, and formed
interesting account of the habits of the bird in captivity, published by him in the second

the subject of the
which work being now scarce, I shall take the liberty of transcribing

volume of the ‘ Zoological Journal,’
therefrom those passages which are likely to be of interest to my readers :—
«« When in his cage,” says Mr. Vigors, ‘ he is peculiarly gentle and tractable, suffers himself to be played

with, and feeds from the hand. In general he is active and lively; and, contrary to what might be expected
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