SCANSORES, OR CLIMBERS.
People will be strangely mistaken if they imagine that all the birds
which rank in this order possess the faculty of climbing. In reality it
is only the privilege of some, and does not belong exclusively even to
them, for it is found in some of the Passerines. The essential
characteristic of the Climbers lies in this organic disposition--that
the external toe, instead of being placed in front like that in other
birds, is placed behind, by the side of the thumb. For this reason the
denomination of Climbers has been substituted by that of _Zygodactyles_,
which is used by Temminck, Vieillot, and others, and which has the
advantage of perfectly expressing the distinctive characteristic of the
order, for this word signifies _fingers disposed in pairs_. Thanks to
the formation of their feet, the Climbers can clasp the branches of
trees strongly; thus they are almost continually perched. Their flight
is medium, being neither so powerful as that of the Raptores nor so
light as that of the Passerines. These birds feed upon fruits or
insects, according to the strength of their beaks. They chiefly inhabit
warm countries, and their colours are generally brilliant. Lastly, they
are all monogamists, with the exception of the Cuckoo. This order is one
of the least numerous of the class of birds. It comprehends but few
families, amongst which we will mention the Parrots, Toucans, Cuckoos,
Woodpeckers, and Jacamars.
PARROTS.
Parrots have large, strong, and round beaks; the upper mandible strongly
hooked and sharp at the extremity, extending beyond the lower, which is
rather deeply hollowed. The tongue, which is thick, fleshy, and
movable, is terminated by a cluster of sinewy papillæ, or by a
cartilaginous gland. The tarsi are very short, and the feet perfected to
such a degree that they really become hands, able to seize, hold, and
retain small objects. Their toes are supplied with strong and hooked
claws, which make these birds pre-eminently Climbers. With the exception
of one single species--the Loriets (_Platycercina Vigorsia_, Sw.)--which
have rather long tarsi and straight claws, enabling them to run with
some rapidity, the Parrots, on the contrary, walk with difficulty. They
drag along the ground with such trouble that they rarely descend to it,
and only under pressing circumstances. Besides, they find all the
necessaries of their existence on trees. They are not more favoured with
regard to their flight, and we can understand that it should be so; for,
living in thick woods, they only require to effect trifling changes of
place, such as from one tree to another. However, some species,
especially the smaller, are capable of a more prolonged and effective
use of their wings. According to Levaillant, some even emigrate, and
travel hundreds of miles every year; but this is an exception. In
general, Parrots are sedentary, and willingly remain in localities
without a desire to leave.
Sociable in their dispositions, they assemble in more or less numerous
bands, and make the forests re-echo with their loud cries. To some
species it is such an imperative necessity to be near each other and
live in common, that they have received from naturalists the name of
Inseparables. At breeding-time each couple isolate themselves for the
purpose of reproduction. The male and female evince the greatest
attachment to each other. The females deposit their eggs in the hollows
of trees and in the crevices of rocks. The young birds are quite naked
when hatched; it is not till the end of three months that they are
completely covered with feathers. The parent birds wait upon them with
the greatest solicitude, and become threatening when approached too
closely by intruders.
Essentially frugivorous, Parrots prefer the fruits of the palm, banana,
and guava trees. They may be seen perched upon one foot, using the other
to bear the food to their beaks, and retain it there till eaten. After
they have extracted the kernel they free it from its envelope and
swallow it in particles. They often visit plantations and cause great
devastation. In a domestic state they are omnivorous. Besides seeds and
grain, they eat bread, and even raw or cooked meat, and it is with
manifest pleasure that they receive bones to pick; they are also very
partial to sugar. It is well known that bitter almonds and parsley act
upon them as violent poisons. They drink and bathe very frequently; in
summer they evince the greatest desire to plunge into water. Captive
Parrots will habituate themselves, if permitted, to the use of wine; it
produces the same effect on them as on the human family, viz., excites
their loquacity and gaiety. They climb in a peculiar manner, which has
nothing of the abruptness displayed by other birds of the same order.
They accomplish their slow and irregular movements by the help of the
beak and feet, which lend a reciprocal support. Like almost all birds of
tropical regions, Parrots are adorned with most beautiful colours, green
predominating; then comes red, and finally blue and yellow. They have
often largely-developed tails.
Notwithstanding their prattling, Parrots are the favourites of men, from
their remarkable talent of imitation. They retain and repeat with great
facility words which they have learned or heard by chance, and also
sometimes imitate, with startling resemblance, the cries of animals, the
sounds of different musical instruments, &c.
By the words that they utter in an unexpected manner, Parrots contribute
to our amusement and diversion, and quite become companions. Is it,
then, to be wondered at that these birds have been eagerly sought since
their introduction into Europe? Alexander the Great brought into Greece
a Parrot which he had found in India. These birds became so common in
Rome at the time of the emperors, that they figured in their sumptuous
repasts. They are now spread throughout Europe in a domestic state.
The species most remarkable for their mimic babbling faculties are the
Grey Parrot, or Jaco, a native of Africa, and the Green Parrot, from the
West Indies and Tropical America.
In the sixteenth century a cardinal paid a hundred crowns for a Parrot
because it recited the Apostles' Creed correctly. Monsieur de la Borde
relates that he has seen a Parrot supply the place of chaplain to a
ship, for he recited the prayer and rosary to the sailors. Levaillant
heard a Parrot say the Lord's Prayer lying on its back, placing together
the toes of its feet as we join our hands in the act of prayer.
Willoughby mentions a Parrot which, when he said to him, "Laugh,
Parrot!" immediately burst out laughing, and cried out an instant after,
"O the great fool who made me laugh!" A keeper of a glass shop possessed
one which, whenever he broke anything or knocked over a vase, invariably
exclaimed, in tones of anger, "Awkward brute! he never does anything
else."
"We have seen a Parrot," says Buffon, "which had grown old with his
master, and partaken with him the infirmities of age. Accustomed to hear
little more than the words, 'I am ill,' when asked, 'How are you,
Parrot--how are you?' 'I am ill,' it replied in doleful tones, 'I am
ill,' and stretching itself on the hearth--'I am ill.'" "A Parrot from
Guinea," says the same author, "being taught on the journey by an old
sailor, learnt his rough voice and his cough so perfectly that they
could be mistaken. Although it had been given immediately after to a
young person, and only heard his voice, it did not forget the lessons of
its former master, and nothing was so agreeable as to hear it pass from
a sweet and pleasant voice to its old hoarseness and the cough of early
times."
Goldsmith relates that a Parrot belonging to King Henry VIII., and
always confined in a chamber bordering upon the Thames, had learnt
several phrases which it heard repeated by the boatmen and passengers.
One day it was let fall into the Thames, when it cried with a strong
voice, "A boat! a boat! twenty pounds to save me!" A waterman
immediately threw himself into the river, thinking that some one was
drowning, and was much surprised to find it was only a bird. Having
recognised the king's Parrot, he carried it to the palace, claiming the
recompense the bird had promised when in distress. The circumstance was
related to Henry VIII., who laughed much, and paid it with a good grace.
The Prince Léon, son of the Emperor Basil, having been condemned to
death by his father, owed his life to his Parrot, which, in repeating
the lamentable accents several times, "Alas! my master Léon!" ended by
touching the heart of this barbarous father. M. Lemaout says:--"In a
town of Normandy a butcher's wife beat her child unmercifully every day.
The infant sank under the ill-treatment. The justice of man made no
remonstrance, but a Grey Parrot which lived in the house of a
rope-maker, opposite to that of the butcher, took upon itself the
chastisement of this unnatural mother. It continually repeated the cries
which the poor child uttered when he saw his mother rush at him with the
rod in her hand--'What for? what for?' This phrase was uttered by the
bird with such doleful and supplicating accents, that the indignant
passers-by entered unexpectedly into the shop, and reproached the
rope-maker with his barbarity. He justified himself by showing his
Parrot, and relating the history of his neighbour's child. After some
months the woman, pursued by the accusing phrase and the murmurs of
public opinion, was obliged to sell her business and leave the village."
The Marquis of Langle, in his "Travels in Spain," writes thus:--"I saw
at Madrid, at the English Consul's, a Parrot which has retained a
quantity of things--an incredible number of stories and anecdotes--which
it retails and articulates without hesitation. It spoke Spanish,
murdered French, knew some verses of Racine, could say grace, repeat the
fable of the Crow, and count thirty louis. They dared scarcely hang its
cage at the windows; for when it was there, and the weather was fine,
the Parrot talked ceaselessly. It said everything it knew, apostrophised
all passers-by (except women), and talked politics. In pronouncing the
word Gibraltar it burst out laughing. One would think it was a man who
laughed."
An English gentleman bought a Grey Parrot in Bristol, the intelligence
of which was quite extraordinary. It asked for everything it wanted, and
gave orders: it sang several songs, and whistled some airs very well,
beating the measure. When it made a false note it recommenced, and never
committed the mistake again. We have often, when passing through the Rue
Four-des-Flammes, at Montpellier, heard a Parrot which sung and
articulated most distinctly the two verses of this song:--
"Quand je bois du vin clairet,
Tout tourne, tout tourne au cabaret."
Parrots imitate not only the words, but even the gestures of those with
whom they come in contact. Scaliger knew one which repeated the songs of
some young Savoyards, and imitated their dances.
[Illustration: Fig. 184.--The Ara Macaw (_Macrocercus_ (Sw.) _ararauna_,
from Brazilian name).]
These birds are more or less susceptible of education. Some, naturally
peaceable, are easily tamed; others, more refractory, submit to
captivity unwillingly. In general, when they are taken young they attach
themselves strongly to those who have care of them.
Parrots have a mania for using their beaks upon everything that comes in
their way. When encaged against their will they utter loud cries, and
sometimes turn their fury upon the bars of their prison. They have been
known to pluck and even tear themselves in these paroxysms. Supplying
them with a plaything is the only means of keeping them quiet under such
circumstances.
These Climbers are endowed with remarkable longevity. The "Memorandums
of the Academy of Sciences of Paris" mention a Parrot that lived in the
family of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in Florence, more than a hundred
and ten years. Vieillot speaks of having seen one near Bordeaux which
was eighty-four years of age. The average length of their life cannot,
however, be exactly ascertained.
[Illustration: Fig. 185.--Ringed Parrakeet (_Palæornis torquatus_,
Vig.).]
Parrots rarely breed in Europe; it is true they often lay, but the eggs
are sterile. A few instances have been known in France where, under
favourable circumstances, they have perpetuated their species. Generally
all that we see in our temperate regions are brought from countries
where the majority have been taken from the nest. Different means are
employed to capture the adults, all of which have for their aim to stun
them for an instant, in order to paralyse their movements.
The family of Parrots comprises four principal groups--the Macaws,
Parrakeets, Parrots properly speaking, and Cockatoos.
[Illustration: Fig. 186.--Love-birds (_Psittacula taranta_, Gould).]
The MACAWS (Fig. 184), the largest of the Parrots, are recognisable from
their bare cheeks and long tapering tails. They inhabit South America,
and are arrayed in the most brilliant colours. The principal species are
the Red, the Blue, the Green, and the Black Macaws. The name Arara, by
which they are known in their habitat (Brazil), describes the deafening
cries which they utter. Very familiar, they tame easily, and do not
abuse the liberty granted them, for they never move far from their
dwelling-place, and always return to it. They like the caresses and
attentions of people they know, but do not care for strangers. The Green
Ara is remarkable for its aversion to children. This peculiarity
doubtless arises from the fact that it is very jealous, and that it
often sees children receive the caresses of its mistress. The Macaws
have only the gift of imitation in a slight degree; they are scarcely
able to retain any words, and articulate badly.
PARRAKEETS, much smaller than Macaws, have, like them, long and tapering
tails, but their cheeks are wholly or partially feathered. Some species,
which resemble the preceding group by being more or less destitute of
plumage round the eyes, for this reason have received the name of
Macaw-Parrakeets. Parrakeets are highly esteemed for their vivacity,
gentleness, and the facility with which they learn to talk. Their
plumage is generally of a uniform green; sometimes it is varied with red
or blue. They inhabit South America, the islands of Oceania, the Indies,
Africa, and Senegal.
[Illustration: Fig. 187.--Grey Parrots (_Psittacus erythacus_, Sw.).]
The TABUAN or KING'S PARROT (_Platycercus scapulatus_, Vig.), which
inhabits Australia, belongs to this group. These birds form a curious
exception in the order of Climbers by their terrestrial habits.
According to M. J. Verreaux, they never perch when pursued, but take
refuge on the ground among the herbage.
[Illustration: Fig. 188.--Green Parrot (_Psittacus amazonicus_,
Briss.).]
PARROTS, properly speaking, are distinguished from other groups of the
same family by their short square tails. They have feathered cheeks like
Parakeets, and their size is intermediate between them and the Aras.
They are much appreciated on account of their memory, and also for their
habit of repeating what they hear. Parrots are divided into several
species, founded upon the size and the predominating colour of the
plumage. The first of these is generally grey, and consists only of the
Grey Parrot, or Jaco, indigenous to the West Coast of Africa, to which
the chief part of the anecdotes recounted in the preceding pages relate.
Next comes a species the plumage of which is green; the most remarkable
of these is the Amazonian Parrot. The principal colour of the Lories is
red; they inhabit the Moluccas and New Guinea. Love-birds (Fig. 186) are
the smallest of this group; their plumage varies in shades according to
the climates. They are met with in America, Southern Africa, and in the
islands of Oceania.
COCKATOOS have tails of medium length, cheeks feathered, and head
surmounted by a white, yellow, or pink tuft, which they can raise and
lower at will. They are the largest among the race of Parrots of the Old
Continent. They inhabit the Indies and the isles of Oceania, and are
pretty, graceful, docile, and caressing, but are indifferent talkers.
One very remarkable species of this group is the _Microglosse_ (little
tongue), called by Levaillant the "Macaw with the trumpet," from the
formation of its tongue, which is cylindrical, and terminated by a
little gland slightly hollowed at the extremity. When this bird has
reduced into fragments, by the help of its jaws, the kernels of the
fruits which form its nourishment, it seizes the pieces by means of the
hollow which terminates the tongue, and having tried the flavour,
projects the trumpet in front, and makes it pass to the palate, which
has the function of causing it to fall into the throat. This curious
mechanism was disclosed by Levaillant.
[Illustration: Fig. 189.--Sulphur Cockatoos (_Cacatua suiphurea_,
Wood).]
TOUCANS.
The characteristic of the birds which compose the family of Toucans is
their enormous beak. This is much longer than the head, is curved at its
extremity, dentated at its edges, and possesses a projecting bone at
the middle of the upper mandible. It is not so heavy to bear, and
incommodes the movements of the birds less than might be supposed, for
it is formed of a spongy tissue, the numerous cells of which are filled
with air. Thus it is very weak, and does not serve to break, or even to
bruise, fruits, notwithstanding the idea one forms at first sight of its
strength, for it is not even capable of breaking off the bark of trees,
as certain authors have urged. This wonderful bill encloses a still more
strange tongue; very straight, and as long as the beak, which is covered
on each side with closely-packed barbs, similar to a feather, the use of
which remains a complete mystery to us. This curious instrument so
struck the naturalists of Brazil, where many Toucans are found, that it
furnished these birds with a name. In Brazilian _Toucan_ means
"feather."
[Illustration: Fig. 190.--Toucan (_Ramphastos toco_, native name).]
Toucans feed on fruits and insects; they live in bands of from six to
ten, in damp places where the palm tree flourishes, for its fruit is
their favourite food. In eating they seize the fruit with the extremity
of the beak, make it bounce up in the air, receive it then into the
throat, and swallow it in one piece. If it is too large, and impossible
to divide, they reject it. They are rarely seen on the ground, and
although their flight is heavy and difficult, they perch on the branches
of the highest trees, where they remain in ceaseless motion. Their call
is a sort of whistle, frequently uttered. Very timid, they are
approached with difficulty. During the breeding season they attack the
weakest birds of their own race, chase them from their nests, and devour
the eggs or nearly-hatched young ones which they enclose. They build
their nests in holes hollowed out by Woodpeckers or other birds. They
all have very brilliant plumage, and inhabit Paraguay, Brazil, and
Guiana.
This family is divided into Toucans, properly speaking, and the
Aracaris. These are distinguished from the former by their much less
size, more solid beak, and longer tail. The most beautiful species of
the family is the Brazilian Toucan, described by Humboldt under the name
of Yellow Toucan (Fig. 191). The beautiful orange feathers which cover
this bird are sometimes employed for ladies' dress. This fashion has
passed from Brazil and Peru into Europe, and muffs made of the throats
of Toucans sell at a great price.
[Illustration: Fig. 191.--Yellow Toucan (_Pteroglossus Humboldtii_,
Gould).]
CUCKOOS.
The general characteristic of the birds ranked in this family
are--slightly-curved beaks of medium dimensions, wings generally short
and concave, and tapering tails. Among the Cuckoos are comprehended
Anis, or Annos (_Cotophagus_, Briss.), Barbets, Trogons, and Touracos,
or Plantain-eaters. Cuckoos have elegant shapes; beaks almost as long as
the head, compressed, and slightly curved; the tail rather long and
rounded. Unlike other birds of the same family, they have long and
pointed wings. Their size is about that of the Turtle Dove. Their flight
is light and rapid, but they are unable to bear strong winds; thus they
cannot accomplish great journeys without resting. There are a great
number of known species belonging to all the countries of the Old
Continent. The whole of Africa, South Asia, China, Japan, and certain
isles of Oceania are inhabited by Cuckoos.
Europe only possesses one species, the Grey Cuckoo, which has been
carefully studied, and to which what we have to say regarding this group
of birds applies. Grey Cuckoos are essentially migratory. They pass the
warm season in Europe, and the winter in Africa or in the warm parts of
Asia. They arrive in France in the month of April, and leave it at the
end of August or the beginning of September. They travel during the
night, not in numerous bands, but alone, or in groups of two or three at
the most. They prefer bushy parts of woods, but often traverse the
country in search of nourishment, which is composed principally of
insects and caterpillars. They are frightfully voracious, which accounts
for the enormous capacity of their stomachs. Of a surly and tyrannical
nature, they suffer no rival of their species in the neighbourhood which
they have chosen; for if some intruder arrives, it is hunted out without
truce or mercy. On account of this unsociable disposition, the Grey
Cuckoos, when captured after attaining maturity, are unable to
accommodate themselves to confinement--in short, adults starve
themselves to death when in captivity. Young birds are less restive, and
gradually accustom themselves to a cage; but they are always
disagreeable on account of their quarrelsome habits, which prevents them
from living caged with feathered companions.
[Illustration: Fig. 192.--Cuckoo (_Cuculus canorus_, Linn.).]
Cuckoos are celebrated for the peculiar manner in which they raise their
progeny. The females do not build a nest or cover their eggs, neither do
they take care of their young. They lay their eggs in the nests of other
birds, generally in those of little insectivorous Passerines, such as
the Lark, the Robin, Hedge Sparrow, Redthroat, Nightingale, Thrush,
Blackbird, and sometimes also in those of the Magpie, Turtle Dove, and
Wood Pigeon. They leave the care of hatching their eggs to these
strangers, and of feeding their young until they are completely
developed. Different explanations have been proposed to justify the
anomaly which seems to make a hard-hearted mother of the Cuckoo. We owe
to M. Florent Prevost the possession of certain information on this
point which had long remained in obscurity. According to this
naturalist, Cuckoos are polygamous, but in a reverse sense to other
birds. Whilst among them males have several females, with Cuckoos it is
the females that have several males, because the stronger sex is much
more numerous than the weaker. These ladies have no fixed home. At the
breeding-time they wander from one district to another, reside two or
three days with a male at one place, and then abandon him, according to
inclination. It is at this time that the males so frequently utter the
cry known to all the world, and from which the bird derives its name; it
is a sort of call or challenge to the females, which in their turn reply
by a peculiar clucking. Cuckoos lay eight or ten eggs in the space of a
few weeks. When an egg has been laid, the female seizes it in her beak,
and carries it to the first unoccupied nest in the vicinity, and there
deposits it, profiting by the absence of the proprietor, which would
certainly oppose such an addition. A Redthroat has been seen to return
unexpectedly, and force the stranger to retire with her burden. The next
egg is placed in a neighbouring nest, but never in the same as the
first. The mother is doubtlessly conscious of the unfortunate position
it would place her two nurslings in if she acted otherwise, for it would
certainly be impossible for two little Passerines to supply the wants of
two such voracious beings as young Cuckoos. Pertinent to this, we will
mention a fact that we have not seen stated in any work on natural
history. It often happens that the female Cuckoo takes from the nest one
of the eggs of the Passerine, breaks it with her beak, and scatters the
shell. Thus, when the mother returns, she finds the same number of eggs
that she left. It is from this cause one frequently sees pieces of
egg-shell surrounding the nests where Cuckoos have deposited their
progeny. This action on the part of the birds denotes perfect reasoning
powers, and consequently real intelligence. What say the great
philosophers to it, who refuse this faculty to animals? When it has thus
left its eggs to nurse, the female comes several times to see that they
are well cared for, and does not leave the neighbourhood till she is
assured that such is the case. She is not quite so free from solicitude
about the welfare of her young as one at first thinks. Thus we can
understand why the female Cuckoo does not herself discharge her maternal
functions. Laying her eggs at considerable intervals, she would find
that to cover several eggs and to raise a young one at the same time was
incompatible, for the latter duty involves frequent absences which would
destroy the eggs, to which, during incubation, an equal and constant
temperature is necessary. It is not then indifference, but thought, that
causes her to confide to others her maternal cares. The young Cuckoo is
no sooner hatched than he employs his infant strength to get rid of the
true children of his foster-parents, in order to be the only one to
profit by their attentions; he glides under the frail creatures, gets
them on his back--where he holds them by means of his raised wings--and
precipitates them one after another from the nest. The mother, though
thus cruelly treated in return for her affection, generally retains her
love for this perfidious child of her adoption, and provides for all its
wants until the time of its departure. Sometimes, however, she is so
angry at the loss of her young, that she brings no nourishment to the
monster, and lets it die of starvation.
HONEY GUIDES, or INDICATORS (_Indicator_, Vall.), have their place next
to Cuckoos. These are little birds inhabiting the interior of Africa.
They feed on insects, and especially delight in the pupæ of bees; they
employ very curious manoeuvres in order to procure them, which denote
perfect intelligence. When one of these birds discovers a hive, it
endeavours to attract the attention of the first person it meets by
frequently-repeated cries. When observed it proceeds to fly, and
sometimes leads thus for great distances till it reaches the place where
the hive is, which it takes care to point out by every means in its
power. Whilst the honey is being taken, the bird remains in the
neighbourhood, observing all that passes, and when that work is
accomplished, it approaches to reap the fruits of its trouble. The bees
make very little buzzing, but flutter round, trying to sting it (but its
skin is impervious to their efforts). Often, however, the despoiled bees
attack its eyes, and sometimes succeed in blinding it: the unfortunate
bird, incapable of guiding itself, then perishes in sight of the place
that witnessed its triumph. The Hottentots esteem Indicators very highly
on account of the services which they render them in revealing the
abodes of bees, and therefore scruple to kill them.
The group of Cuckoos is supplemented by several more species nearly
allied to the genus Cuckoo, upon which it is useless for us to enlarge.
These are Courols, Coccyzus, Couas, and Guiras. All these birds are
strangers.
ANIS have bulky, short, very compressed beaks, surmounted by a slight
and sharp crest. They inhabit the countries of Equatorial America, and
live in troops of from thirty to forty in the midst of savannahs and
marshes. They feed upon reptiles and insects; they are often seen to
alight upon cattle to devour the insect parasites which torment them.
Hence comes their scientific name of _Crotophaga_ (Linn.), or eaters of
insects. They are of very gentle, confiding natures, and the sight of
man does not frighten them; besides, there is no advantage in killing
them, for their flesh exhales a repulsive odour. Taken young, they
become very familiar, and are as quick as Parrots in learning the art of
speaking. They possess the instinct of sociability in the highest
degree; so much so, that they do not even isolate themselves at
pairing-times as other birds do. They build a common nest either in the
trees or bushes, in which all the females lay and sit on their eggs.
This nest is sometimes divided by walls into a certain number of
compartments, each of which belongs to a female, but generally all the
eggs are mixed, and the females cover them indiscriminately. This
admirable understanding does not cease after the young are hatched.
These are nourished by all the mothers in common. Are not these little
republics models of peace and concord? and does not man find in them
salutary examples of disinterestedness and affection? The two principal
species of the genus are the Razor-bill of Jamaica and the Crow
Blackbird of America. The former is the size of a Blackbird, the latter
of a Jay.
[Illustration: Fig. 193.--African Barbet (_Pogonias hirsutus_, Sw.).]
BARBETS (Fig. 193) owe their name to a number of straight hairs which
they have upon their beak. They are massive in form, and their flight is
heavy. Inhabiting warm countries of both continents, they conceal
themselves in thick forests, either alone or in small bands. They feed
on fruits, berries, and insects. Certain species even attack and devour
young birds. They build in the trunks of trees. The number of eggs they
lay is two, sometimes (though rarely) three. Levaillant asserts that the
old and infirm Barbets are cared for and fed by those in the enjoyment
of all their vigour. He says that, having taken five Barbets in a nest
of Republicans, one of which was so old that it could not stand on its
legs, and having enclosed them in a cage, "the four healthy Barbets
hastened to give food to the one lying in a dying state in a corner of
the cage." He adds that the nest whence he had taken them was filled
with husks and the remains of insects, which led him to think that the
old invalid had been fed a long time by these kind and thoughtful
birds. If this is true, it is worthy the attention of moralists.
[Illustration: Fig. 194--Resplendent Trogons (_Trogon_ (_Calurus_)
_resplendens_, Gould).]
TROGONS, like Barbets, have the bases of their beaks covered with hairs.
Their soft and silky plumage glitters with the most brilliant hues, and
their tails are extremely long. They very strongly resemble the birds of
night by their unsociable nature and melancholy dispositions, and by the
solitary lives they pass in the wildest parts of woods. Like them, also,
they only go out in the morning and evening to seek the insects and
caterpillars which form their principal nourishment. The presence of man
does not frighten them; and this confidence often leads to their death,
for they are actively pursued for their flesh, which is said to be
excellent, and also for their very beautiful feathers. Their name
Couroucous arises from the cry which they utter at breeding-times. They
inhabit the intertropical regions of both continents. The most
remarkable species is the Resplendent Trogon (Fig. 194), indigenous to
Mexico and Brazil. The plumage of this bird is of a magnificent emerald
green frosted with gold: its head is surmounted by a beautiful tuft of
the same colour. The daughters of the Caciques in the New World formerly
used its feathers in their dresses. At the present time creoles employ
them for the same purpose. The most common species is the _Trogon
mexicanus_ (Fig. 195).
[Illustration: Fig. 195.--Mexican Trogon (_Trogon mexicanus_, Gould).]
TOURACOS, or PLANTAIN-EATERS (_Musophagidæ_), are African birds, of
which the general forms bear some analogy to the Hoccos. They live in
forests, and perch upon the highest branches of trees: their flight is
heavy and little sustained.
WOODPECKERS.
The birds which compose this family are characterised by a rather long,
conical, pointed beak, and by a very extensible tongue. They form two
genera, Woodpeckers and Wry-necks.
[Illustration: Fig. 196.--Black Woodpeckers (_Picus_ (_Dryocopus_)
_martius_, Gould).
1. Female. 2. Male.]
[Illustration: Fig. 197--Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers (_Picus minor_,
Gould).]
WOODPECKERS excel in the art of climbing, but they do not perform it in
the same manner as Parrots. They accomplish their ascensions by
extending their toes, supplied with bent claws, upon the trunk of a
tree, and maintain themselves hanging there; then move themselves a
little farther by a sudden and jerked skip, and so on. These movements
are facilitated by the disposition of the tail, formed of straight
resistant feathers, slightly worn away at their extremities, which,
pressed against a tree, serve as a support to the bird. Thanks to this
organisation, Woodpeckers traverse trees in every direction--downwards,
upwards, or horizontally. Woodpeckers are of a timid and restless
disposition; they live alone in the midst or on the borders of large
forests. Insects and their larvæ form their nourishment; there they seek
them in the trunks and clefts of trees. Their tongue is wonderfully
suited to this work of exploration. It is very long, and, by a peculiar
mechanism, can be projected out far enough to reach objects three or
four inches away. The beak is terminated by a horny point bristling with
small hooks. In many species it is overlaid with a sticky humour,
secreted by two voluminous glands, the effect of which is to catch the
insects which it touches. Whenever the bird darts this tongue into the
crevices, it draws it out more or less laden with insects. If it
perceives an insect that it cannot reach by means of this organ, it has
recourse to its strong beak: striking the tree with redoubled blows, it
cuts the bark, breaks an opening, and seizes the coveted prey. It often
also strikes with its beak to sound the tree, and assure itself that
there is no cavity in the interior which would serve as a refuge for its
prey. If the trunk is hollow, it examines all parts to find the entrance
to the cavity. When it has discovered it, it introduces its tongue; and
if the canal is not large enough to permit it to explore the
hiding-place with success, it increases the size of the aperture. It is
not only to seek for food that Woodpeckers make holes in trees, but also
to establish their nests. Some species, it is true, select the
anfractuosities which they find, but others hollow out their
resting-places according to their tastes. When such is the case, they
inspect soft-wood trees, such as the beech, aspen, &c., to ascertain
those that are decayed in the interior. When they have made their
choice, the male and female peck the bark off the tree by turns, and do
not cease to labour till they have reached the decayed portion. The
cavity which they bore is generally so oblique and so deep that perfect
darkness must surround them. It is doubtless a measure of security
against the little mammals, especially the rodents, the natural enemies
of their family. The female deposits her eggs upon a bed of moss or the
dust of worm-eaten wood. The young birds grow slowly, and receive in the
nest the care of their parents for a long time. In general they have
little voice, or only utter disagreeable cries. At breeding-time they
frequently employ a language peculiar to themselves: they strike the
trunks of dead trees with their beaks, and these blows, which are heard
at a great distance, attract all the Woodpeckers of the neighbourhood.
Woodpeckers are generally considered noxious birds, because they are
supposed to injure the trees of forests and orchards, and for this
reason a relentless war is made against them. They should, on the
contrary, be protected; for they destroy innumerable insects, the real
enemies of timber. Besides, they scarcely ever attack healthy
trees--they reserve their labours for those which are worm-eaten. There
are a great number of species of Woodpeckers known, which are spread
over the two continents: Europe possesses eight, seven of which live in
France either in a settled state or as birds of passage. The principal
are the Black Woodpecker, the Spotted Woodpecker, and the Grey
Woodpecker.
[Illustration: Fig. 198.--Wry-necks (_Yunx torquilla_, Yarrell).]
WRY-NECKS owe their name to the curious property which they possess of
being able to twist their necks in such a manner as to turn the head in
all directions. They repeat this movement every instant, especially when
surprised or angry. At the same time their eyes become fixed, the
feathers of the head stand up, and the tail expands itself. Like
Woodpeckers, they can hang upon trees, and sustain themselves in a
vertical position for a long time; but they are incapable of climbing.
The weakness of their beaks does not permit of their boring trees;
therefore they seek their nourishment upon the ground, principally
amongst the ant-hills. They lead a solitary existence, which they only
relinquish at pairing-time. They possess a characteristic confidence,
never in the least avoid the presence of man, and become very familiar
in captivity. They build in the natural holes of trees, or in those
hollowed by Woodpeckers. Their plumage is pleasing, and their size is
the same as the Lark. They inhabit all the Old Continent.
JACAMARS.
[Illustration: Fig. 199.--Paradise Jacamar (_Galbula paradisea_,
Latham).]
Jacamars (Fig. 199) inhabit Equatorial America. They are characterised
by long and pointed beaks, short tarsi, and short or obtuse wings. They
have three or four toes, according to the species. Their habits are
little known; but it is certain that they live isolated or in pairs,
that they are stupid, move but little, and rarely depart from the
neighbourhood where they have chosen their dwelling. All species do not
frequent the same places--some like thick woods, others prefer plains,
while some select damp localities; but all are insectivorous. In their
manners, as well as in their physical characteristics, Jacamars appear
to resemble King-fishers, of which we shall speak in the following
order.