northward or southward, as the fruits ripen. Of grapes it is very fond.

The Toucan builds its nest in the holes of trees, that are either formed by itself, or that from accident it meets with, and lays two eggs; and no bird better secures its young from external injury. It has not only birds, men, and serpents to guard against, but a numerous train of monkeys, still more prying, mischievous, and hungry, than all the rest. The Toucan, however, sits in its hole, defending the entrance with its great beak; and if the monkey venture to offer a visit of curiosity, the Toucan gives him such a welcome, that he is soon glad to make his escape.

This bird is a native of Guiana and Brazil, and is said to be in great request in South America; both from the delicacy of its flesh, and on account of the beauty of its plumage, particularly the feathers of the breast. The skin of this part the Indians pluck off, and, when dry, glue to their cheeks, and this they consider as an irresistible addition to their beauty. The female lays two eggs, and, it is probable, they have more than one brood in the year.

The Toucan may be easily tamed, and in its domestic state will eat of almost any thing that is given to it. Grapes, however, seem to be one of its most favourite articles of food. If these are plucked from the stalk, one by one, and thrown to it, the Toucan will catch them with great dexterity before they fall to the ground.

These birds when in flocks, on retiring to rest, generally appoint one to watch during the night. While they are asleep he sits perched at the top of a tree, above them, and makes a continual noise, resembling ill articulated sounds, moving also his head, during the whole time, to the right and left. For this reason the South Americans give to the Toucan the name of Preacher Toucan.

ALL birds that haunt the water may be considered as falling under three natural divisions, viz. those of the Gull kind, that with long legs and round bills fly along the surface, to seize their prey;-those of the Penguin kind, that with round bills, short wings, and legs hid in the abdomen, dive in quest of food;-and, lastly, those of the Goose kind, with flat broad bills, that lead harmless lives, and chiefly subsist upon insects and vegetables.-In the artificial classification of Linnæus, the whole of these come under the sixth order, that of Swimmers.-In describing the birds of these classes, therefore, we shall put the most remarkable of each at the beginning of their respective tribes, and the more ordinary sorts will naturally follow. We must, however, previously give the history of the above bird, which, from the singularity of its conformation, seems allied to neither of those divisions.

The White or Great Pelican, or Pelecan, resembles the swan in shape and colour, but exceeds it in size. The singularity, however, which distinguishes it from all other birds, is in the bill and the great pouch underneath, which merit a particular description.

The bill of this bird is about sixteen inches long, from the point to the opening of the mouth, which is a good way behind the eyes. It is very thick at the base, where it is of a greenish tint, but tapers off toward the end, which curves downward, and is of a reddish blue. At the lower edge of the under chap hangs a pouch, capable of containing fifteen quarts of water, and reaching the whole length of the bill to the neck this bag is covered with a very soft and smooth down, and, when empty, is scarcely perceptible; as the bird has the power of wrinkling it up into the lower jaw. This bird was formerly known in Europe, particularly in Russia; but at present it is only found in Africa and America.

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The Pelican has strong wings furnished with thick plumage of an ash colour, as are the rest of the feathers over the whole body. The legs are lead coloured, and the claws gray. The number of toes is four, and these are all webbed together. The eyes are very small, when compared with the size of the head, and there is something in the countenance very sad and melancholy.

These birds are torpid and inactive to the last degree, so that nothing can exceed their indolence but their gluttony; for were they not excited to labour by the stimulus of hunger, they would always continue in fixed repose. They will often sit for whole days and nights on rocks and branches of trees, motionless, and in a melancholy posture, till the cravings of the stomach compel them to seek for food. When they have raised themselves about thirty or forty feet

above the surface of the sea, they turn their head with one eye downward, and continue to fly in that posture. As soon as they perceive a fish sufficiently near the surface, they dart down with the swiftness of an arrow, seize it with unerring certainty, and store it up in their pouch: they then rise again, and continue hovering and fishing, till their bag is filled; when they retire to land, and greedily devour the fruits of their industry. They then sink to sleep, and remain inert till again obliged to provide for their subsistence.

The same habits of indolence seem to attend the Pelican in every situation; for the female does not prepare for the duties of incubation, but drops her eggs on the bare ground, to the number of five or six, and there contrives to batch them. It is a mere poetical fiction that the Pelican feeds her young with blood from her own breast. Her little progeny, however, seem to call forth some maternal affections: for its young have been taken and tied by the leg to a post, and the parent bird has been observed for several days to come and feed them; remaining with them the greatest part of the day, and spending the night on the branch of a tree that hung over them. By these means they became so familiar that they suffered themselves to be handled; and they very readily accepted whatever fish was given to them. These they always put first into their pouch, and then swallowed them at leisure.

Notwithstanding their natural indolence and stupidity, these birds appear to be susceptible of instruction in a domestic state. Some of them have been known to go off at the word of command, and return to their owners with their pouches distended with plunder.

It is said that, when the Pelican and the cormorant fish in company, they adopt a singular mode of catching their prey. They form a large circle, at some

distance from the land, and, while the Pelicans flap their wings above, the cormorants dive beneath. The fish are thus driven before the birds, who lessen the circle as they approach the land, and thus enclose their finny spoil within a narrow space, so as to have no difficulty in seizing on a sufficient number.

THE Cormorant, or Corvorant, weighs about seven pounds, and is nearly the same size as a goose. The head and neck are of a sooty blackness, and the body is thick and heavy, more inclining in figure to that of the goose than the gull. Its distinguished character, however, consists in its toes being united by membranes, and by the middle toe being notched, like a saw, to assist it in holding its fishy prey.

On the approach of winter, these birds are seen dispersed along the seashore, and ascending the mouths of rivers, carrying destruction to all the finny tribe;