the Transvaal Museum /roin Boror. 23 



was seen at Buruma continually passing to and fro near my 

 camp, but be was too sly to disclose tbe wbereabouts of bis 

 nest, invariably flying oft" in a circle or far away over tbe 

 forest out of siubt wlieu be found bis movements watcbed. 



LoPHOCEROS NEUMANNi, Rchw. 11.817. (IF.) Resident. 



I. liazel; B. creamy yellow, varied in parts witli dark 

 brown, tbe tip and tomia ligbt reddisb brown; L. asby 

 brown. Long. 470 ; W. 213 ; Tl. 1D4 ; Ts. 28 ; C. 70. 



Tliis s[)ccies was fairly common in drier parts of tbe prazo, 

 and usually found in small scattered parties of five or six, tbe 

 individuals keeping in toucb witb eacb otber by uttering a 

 mournful, quavering, wbistling note. Tbeir favourite food 

 seemed to be seeds and gum extracted from tbe pods found 

 bangino- to certain trees. A nest was located at Namabieda 

 about 1st October, but on cbo})ping open tbe entrance I 

 found tbat eggs bad not yet been laid, and tbe ben made ber 

 escape up tbe lioUow trunk. I bave noticed tbat Hornbills 

 of tbis genus nearly always clioose a tree witb a bollow 

 trunk extending u[twaid.s beyond tbe entrance, and tbat wben 

 tbe bird finds berself in danger slie immediately scrambles 

 up out of sigbt : tbis is no doubt tbe result of experience, tbe 

 nests being so often robbed by natives. At Matiwe tbe 

 attention of one of my native servants was drawn to a clicking 

 sound coming from a crack in a borizontal brancli of a tree 

 overbanging my camp, and on climbing up to investigate, be 

 found tbat it was being made by one of tbeso birds confined 

 in its nest. Tbe old bird bad moulted all ber long wing- and 

 tail-featbers, cutting an absurd figure, and, with ber, two 

 newly liatcbed young and tbree mucb incubated eggs were 

 taken ; I tried to keep tbe first alive, but sbe disappeared 

 during tbe first nigbt, eitber liaving beencanied off by some 

 wibl animal or baving been stolen from tbe box, into wbicli 

 1 bad put ber, Ijy tb(! natives, wbom I bad observed casting 

 longing hungry eyes into tbe box. Tbe camp bad been 

 pitched mider the tree for several days before the nest was 

 discovered, and although the male was frcMpiently observed in 

 the ncigbouring trees he was never once seen to venture 



