I N T R O D U C T I O N .
T h e earliest record respecting the existence of a species of the remarkable group of birds now so well
known by their common'appellation of Toucans, occurs in the 28th Chapter of Belon’s third book published
in 1555, where a figure of the bill of Ramphastos Toco is given as belonging to a bird of the new world.
The beak of another species also formed part of the celebrated collection of John Tradescant, and was
described in the “ Museum Tradescantium,” published in 1656, as that of the Arafari of Brazil. The first
figure of an entire bird appeared in the “ Ornithologia ” of Willughby under the name of Pica Braziliensis
Toucan, but is so imperfect that we can scarcely say what species it is meant to represent; most likely,
however, it is intended for the Ramphastos Toco: subsequently a correct but very rude figure of another
species, probably the Ramphastos erythrorhynchus, was published in Petiver’s “ Gazophylacii Naturae ” ; and
to these meagre materials but little appears to have been added until the appearance of the “ Systema
Naturae ” of the celebrated Linnaeus, in the twelfth edition of which he enumerates eight species; but of
these R . picatus cannot be identified, and the R. Momotus has nothing whatever to do with the present
family, but is a true Motmot—genus Momotus: six species then were all that were known to Linnaeus.
Gmelin, in his edition of the “ Systema Naturae,” enumerates eight others, but of these R . pavoninus,
torquatus, luteus, cceruleus, and albus cannot be identified, and R. erythrorhynchus is probably identical with
the R. Tucanus of Linnaeus ; his R . Toco, according to the characters detailed, is therefore the only addition
made by him to the previous list. Illiger appears to have added R . vitellinus ;■ at least Mr. Swainson quotes
that name as having been given by him, but does not say where, nor have I been able to discover his
description of the species. Dr. Shaw proposed the name of R . Aldrovandi for the R. picatus of Linnaeus,
which I have already mentioned cannot be identified. Vieillot merely Latinized the French names given by