64 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
Beira, although primitive in those days, was on the verge of 
some revolutionary changes, thanks to British enterprise. Up to 
now all boats anchored off-shore, as there were no docks, but.these 
were under construction, and much stone was needed for’ the 
purpose. The Siluvu Hills with their wealth of granite rock were 
the nearest source of supply, and so this previously uninhabited 
spot was the center of much activity. The sole European here was 
an aged Englishman who had been enterprising enough to start 
up quarrying, and supplied Beira with tons of stone, both broken 
and in blocks. Between two and three dozen natives with their 
families had been recruited from other districts, and were housed 
in specially built rondavels. 
Our host, whom I shall call Peters, had built a house of stone 
at the top of a high kopje. The approach to this from any direc- 
tion meant a stiff climb which was an effort in the heat of the day, 
but seemed worth while once the crest was reached, for here the 
slight breeze was heavenly after the sweltering heat of the valleys 
below. Peters was a successful business man and had made enough 
money, I think, to live on comfortably, but for some reason, at 
which we could only guess, he had quitted his home town in 
England and sought solitude in the African wilderness. 
One of the most conspicuous birds in the Siluvu Hills was the 
Trumpeter Hornbill. This is a big black-and-white fellow with a 
large cylindrical casque on the upper mandible, giving him a 
top-heavy appearance. This casque, which looks like an additional 
bill, seems to serve no other purpose than that of ornamentation 
and is therefore akin to the development of a fancy crest, or 
plumes, such as occur in the Crowned Crane and birds-of-paradise. 
These grotesque hornbills, with their ridiculously short legs and 
heavy heads, are comical in the extreme when they hop from 
branch to branch looking for their favorite wild fruits. In flight 
they give one the impression that the whole thing is a very labori- 
ous business, for they progress by rapid wing-beats followed by a 
gliding movement with wings extended as if pausing for breath. 
Trumpeter Hornbills are gregarious birds and a flock used to 
pass over our abode daily en route for a fruit-bearing tree in the 
forest about a mile away. Being on a hill-top we could follow their 
dead-straight course right to the particular tree they wanted. 
