NO. 9 CASQUED HORNBILLS — KILHAM II 



ideally located. It was 70 feet up in the trunk of a huge tree {Celtis 

 saoyouxii), as illustrated by a sketch (text figure 2). Unfortunately 

 the hole was about a foot in diameter and apparently too large. The 

 sketch shows the small wall built across the lower portion. Its rate of 

 construction was exceedingly slow, even though the female worked for 



Fig. I. — Nest 3, Mpanga Forest. 



many hours, usually in the morning. On October 24 the pair flew to 

 the hole at 8:45 a.m. The female went inside and the male perched 

 close by. He offered her a mud pellet 5 or 6 times, but she was occu- 

 pied and paid no attention. At 9 a.m. the male flew to the forest 

 clearing, then down to a path among the shambas. Here he picked 

 two gobs of damp earth, swallowing the first and holding the second, 

 an inch in diameter, in his bill. Then he flew back in stages to the 

 nest tree. I watched him cough up and pass three small mud pellets 



