NATURAL HISTORY. 



295 



Family VIL Bucerotidae. 

 BUCEROS. (Bowccpwf, ox-liorned.) 



Rhinoceros, the Rhinoceros Hornlill. 



upper protuberance is hollow, and the only conjecture formed 

 of its use, is that it serves as a sounding 1 board to increase the 

 reverberations of the air, while the bird is uttering its peculiar 

 roaring cry. 



In spite of the apparently unwieldy bill the bird is very active, 

 and hops about the branches of trees with much ease. The 

 appendage to the upper mandible is small when the bird is 

 young, and only attains its enormous size when the HORNEILL 

 has reached its full growth. The bill of the hoopoes presents 

 a somewhat analogous peculiarity, as when the bird is young 

 the bill is short and pointed, and increases with the size of the 

 bird. From this circumstance, together with some other resem- 



