INTRODUCTION,

Tue 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 of 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 Willughby 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 FR. picatus cannot be identified, and the R. Momotus has nothing whatever to do with the present
family, but is a true Motmot—genus J/omotus: six species then were all that were known to Linneus.
Gmelin, in his edition of the “Systema Nature,” enumerates eight others, but of these R. pavoninus,
torquatus, luteus, ceruleus, and albus cannot be identified, and 2. erythrorhynchus is probably identical with
the R. Tucanus of Linneus ; his R. Toco, according to the characters detailed, is therefore the only addition
made by him to the previous list. Illiger appears to have added R. vitedlinus ; 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

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