. Bird notes . them a!)i)ut when it was nearly dark. During th»hot hours of the day they retire to the shady depths of the forest,and are never seen. Those of the genus Rha/ii/ii/ui.^tus are dwellers in the highest trees ; while Plcrorr/pssiis may be found in more open spaces, and often in banana plantations round human habitations. Onlone occasion I saw ,v Ptcioglossiis on the ground eating a fallenbanana, but a Hharnphasius never. Then there are the little Toucans,* Autacorhumpiis. which may be said to live among the under- (growth of the forests, and are never seen in trees. Tht^se b
. Bird notes . them a!)i)ut when it was nearly dark. During th»hot hours of the day they retire to the shady depths of the forest,and are never seen. Those of the genus Rha/ii/ii/ui.^tus are dwellers in the highest trees ; while Plcrorr/pssiis may be found in more open spaces, and often in banana plantations round human habitations. Onlone occasion I saw ,v Ptcioglossiis on the ground eating a fallenbanana, but a Hharnphasius never. Then there are the little Toucans,* Autacorhumpiis. which may be said to live among the under- (growth of the forests, and are never seen in trees. Tht^se birds seem to b.; solitary, for 1 ne\er saw even a pair together. Unless youJiappen to see them settle, it is most difficult to detect them in the^iforests, for, unlike other Toucans they will sit motionless for a long■ lime. Often 1 have had them pointed out within seven fir eightyards of me, and could not detect them sometimes before my gu;delost all patience. *Most charming aviary birds.—Ed. liiRD Cuviers Toucan fB/inir/pJiafitos cuvieri.) Some Tonrans. One lias always read in books that Toucans cat the eggs and young of other birds. Although it may be true, I never personally■ saw anything to confirm this. On the coirrary there was a tree just b. our hut. at Xanegal. to which the ToUans constantly resorted, andthe small birds ne\-cr seemc 1 in the least alarmed at their presenceamong them. On the Xaoo I once saw, a flock of Toucans in a. tree, from every branch of which were hanging the nests of the Cassiciis pt-rxinis , the latter birds passed to an;l from their nests without taking any apjiarent notice of the Toucans ; and I never saw a nest of any of the Ictciidac but which was tar too long for a Toucansbill to reach the eggs. I am aware in captivity these birds, as a rule evince a decided preference for mea% and I have knowit them to kill and eac a small bird, but it might be an unnatural taste caused by ixrfinement. My old .Sulphur-breasted Toucan was
Size: 1339px × 1865px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorforeignb, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1902
