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INTRODUCTION.

nn
| HE earliest record respecting the existence of a species of the remarkable group of birds now so well
known by their common appellation of Toucans, occurs in the 28th Chapter of Belon’s third book published
in 1555, where a figure of the bill of Ramphastos Toco is given as belonging to a bird of the new world.

The beak of another species also formed part of the celebrated collection

* John Tradescant, and was

described in the ‘* Museum Tradescantium,” published in 1656, as that of the Aracari of Brazil. The first
figure of an entire bird appeared in the ‘‘ Ornithologia” of W illughby under the name of Pica Braziliensis
Toucan, but is so imperfect that we can scarcely say what species it is meant to represent; most likely,
however, it is intended for the Ramphastos Toco: subsequently a correct but very rude figure of another
species, probably the Ramphastos erythrorhynchus, was published in Petiver’s ‘ Gazophylacii Nature”; and
to these meagre materials but little appears to have been added until the appearance of the ‘Systema
Nature ” of the celebrated Linneus, in the twelfth edition of which he enumerates eight species ; but of

these #. picatus cannot be identified, and the R. Womotus has nothing whatever t

» do with the present
family, but is a true Motmot—genus Momotus: six species then were all that were known to Linneus.
Gmelin, in his edition of the “Systema Nature,” enumerates eight others, but of these A. pavoninus,
torquatus, luteus, c@ruleus, and albus cannot be identified, and R. erythrorhynchus is probably identical with
the #. Zucanus of Linneus ; his R. Toco, according to the characters detailed, is therefore the only addition
made by him to the previous list. TIlliger appears to have added &,. vitellinus ; at least Mr. Swainson quotes
that name as having been given by him, but does not say where, nor have I been able to discover his
description of the species. Dr. Shaw proposed the name of R. Aldrovandi for the R. picatus of Linneus,

which I have already mentioned cannot be identified.  Vieillot merely Latinized the French names given by