The PODITTI (_Syma flavirostris_), one of the two species of Saw-beaked
Alcyons with which we are acquainted, as inhabiting Australia and New
Guinea, is of a brownish red on the top of the head, nape, ear-covers,
and sides of throat; the back and wings are dull green, the rump and tail
greenish blue, the front of the throat and lower belly yellowish white,
and the remainder of the under side yellowish brown; the head is almost
encircled by a narrow black line; the pale red bill is blackish brown at
its culmen. This species is seven inches and one-sixth long; the wing
measures two inches and two-thirds, and the tail two inches and one-sixth.
* * * * *
The SLUGGARDS (_Agornithes_) are remarkable for the bristle-like feathers
that form a kind of beard; an unusually delicate skin, in which the broad,
soft, downy feathers grow but loosely; and still more for their indolent
and dreamy disposition.
* * * * *
The JACAMARS (_Galbulæ_) possess a slender body, a long, straight,
awl-shaped beak, small delicate feet, with the toes divided into pairs,
short wings, and a long tail, composed of strong feathers. The soft, lax
plumage, which has a magnificent golden gloss, is replaced by bristles
in the region of the beak. The few species of these birds that we are
acquainted with occupy the primitive forests of South America, and alike
exhibit the same dull and indolent disposition in their manner of life.
* * * * *
The TRUE JACAMARS are recognisable by their long, thin, high beak, which
is slightly curved, and furnished with sharp edges; the wings, with their
fourth and fifth quills longer than the rest, are comparatively long; the
tail, composed of twelve feathers, is long and much graduated; the two
outer toes of the foot are united almost to the tip; the hinder toe is
very small. The plumage is soft and lax.