Page:Natural History, Birds.djvu/53

40 broad, and very much flattened, usually blunt or rounded at the tip. The gape is wide, extending beneath the eyes, and is beset with bristles. In one Indian genus (Eurylaimus) the breadth of the beak at the base is nearly as great as the length. The feet are for the most part small and weak: the outmost toe is united to that which is next to it as far as to the terminal joint. The wings are short and rounded, and consequently the flight is feeble, and incapable of protraction. Insects form the chief nutriment of the Todies, mingled, however, in some of the species, with berries.

The little birds to which this name is generically restricted, are confined to the islands of the West Indies and the tropical parts of the American continent. The species are few in number, and are characterized by a lengthened, flattened beak of nearly equal breadth throughout, but rounded at the point. The bristles of the gape are few. The wings are very short and rounded, and the feet weak.

The Green Tody (Todus viridis, .) is one of the most common, and one of the most beautiful birds of the greater West Indian isles. Its upper plumage is of bright green,—brilliant as an emerald,—its throat rich velvety crimson, and its under parts pale yellow, with rosy sides.

It sits on a twig at the edge of the forest, or on some low bush by the side of the road, watching for passing insects: and so intent is it on its occupation, and so little terrified by the approach of man, that it will allow a person to stand within