The BARBETS (_Capitones_) possess a strong, conical beak, of moderate size, and much compressed at its tip; short and powerful feet, with the toes placed in pairs; small or medium-sized wings, rounded at their extremity, and a comparatively long tail. The plumage, which is most resplendent, is replaced by bristles in the region of the beak. The members of this family are spread over Asia and Africa, and are brisk and lively birds, associating freely with their congeners, and busily seeking the berries, fruits, and insects, upon which they subsist, from bush to bush and tree to tree, rarely or never descending to the ground. Their flight is rapid, but not sustained to any great distance, owing to the weight of their bodies; almost all have loud, resonant voices, while some species utter something resembling a regular song. The nests of the Barbets are placed in hollow trees, or holes in the ground, but, except this, and the fact that the eggs are white, we are entirely without particulars as to their manner of incubation. THE PEARL BIRD. The PEARL BIRD (_Trachyphonus margaritatus_) represents an African group, possessing a moderate-sized and slender beak, which is slightly arched, and compressed at its tip; the comparatively high feet have the tarsi longer than the centre toe; the fourth quill of the moderately long wing exceeds the rest in length; the tail is of medium length, and rounded at its extremity. The plumage of the back is brown, spotted and marked with white, that of the under side bright glossy yellow, shading into red on the breast; the brow, crown of the head, and, in the male bird, a chain of spots upon the breast, are black; the rump and vent are deep bright red. The eye is dark red, the beak light red, and the foot lead-grey. This species is seven inches long, the wing measures three inches and a half. [Illustration: THE PEARL BIRD (_Trachyphonus margaritatus_).] We have frequently met with these beautiful birds in most parts of North-eastern Africa, where they constantly visit the fields and gardens near the settlements, making themselves particularly conspicuous during the early morning and in the evening, by flying around the tops of the loftiest trees, or by pouring forth their deep but lively notes with an animation that gives the performance almost the effect of a pleasing song. The food of this species consists of seeds, fruit, and insects, in pursuit of which it displays but little skill while climbing about the branches; its flight consists of a hovering, whirring motion, and is seldom long sustained. The oval, pure white eggs obtained by Heuglin, on the 26th of September, were found in holes situated in the side of a bank of earth; in one instance the interior had no lining of any description, and in the other a mere bed of reeds, on which the eggs were deposited. We are unable to state whether these holes are excavated by the parent birds. THE GOLDEN BARBET.