Mr. D. G. Elliot on Buceros bicornis, Linn. 417 



on turning to plate 17. fig. 1 of the ' Ornithology,' we find 

 a very recognizable representation of the head and bill of the 

 HoTurai, or '' Great Hornbill/' as it is called by Jerdon, with 

 its broad flat casque, having the anterior margin curved up- 

 wards, and terminating on both sides in miniature " horns." 

 There can be no doubt whatever as to the species this figure 

 is intended to represent. Brisson is another of the more 

 important of the authors referred to, who preceded the twelfth 

 edition of Linnseus's great work (1766), which is the one now 

 quoted. We here find, as stated by Mr. Hume, some con- 

 siderable confusion existing between the description of the 

 head and casque and that of the body and tail. Brisson, 

 however, expressly states that he had only seen the head 

 and bill of the species called by him Hydrocorax philip- 

 pensis ; and his description of this portion of the bird, which 

 was at that time in the collection of M. de Reaumur, evidently 

 proved that it was of the same species as the one figured by 

 Willughby in his ' Ornithology.' Brisson does not state where 

 he got the idea of the colour of the plumage of the body and 

 tail ; but as he had never seen the bird itself, he must either 

 have copied it from some other description, and unfortunately 

 hit upon the wrong bird, or else have drawn upon his imagi- 

 nation, from which source, however, it must in justice be 

 said, Brisson seldom derived any assistance. The tail of the 

 bird, stated to be composed of twelve feathers, ten black and 

 two white, is very properly characterized by Mr. Hume as one 

 " which no Hornbill in the world has,'' so far as we know at 

 present, and could not have been described from any speci- 

 men. But the parts which Brisson did see, the casque and 

 bill, are accurately described ; and it is on this description and 

 and on Willughby 's figure that Linnaeus based the name of 

 Buceros bicornis, to which the diagnosis, " B. fronte ossea, 

 plana, antrorsum bicorni," applies. In his description of the 

 plumage Linnaeus is as wide of the mark as was Brisson ; and 

 he, too, evidently had no specimen of the bird before him, 

 but in a great degree copied Brisson's imaginary description. 

 As, therefore, it is perfectly well established that the portions 

 known to have been in the possession of the authors men- 

 SER. IV. — VOL. I. 2g 



