Famity BUCEROTID ( Horndills) 
Hornbills are large sized birds, usually found on outskirts of 
thick, dense-forests, not infrequently in the vacinity of big hill- 
streams or Jhoras. They are readily distinguished by their enor- 
mous size bills. In some of the species, the size is still further 
increased by a protuberance, placed at base of the culmen; tongue 
short and heart shaped; wings are short and rounded, tail long; 
tarsus short and stout; feet syndactyle and of fair size ; hind toe 
short; claws short, thick and curved; orbiter skin naked (unfea- 
thered); eyelids protected by eyelashes, which is an uncommon 
provision among birds, met with again, among most of the non- 
parasitic cuckoos (Taccocua.) 
(140) Homratus Bicornis, Great Hornbill, is monarch of this 
group. These birds are met with in the district usually in pairs, 
either on the wing, flying singly over thick forests, or perched not 
far from each other, on tall trees in the woods, frequently over- 
looking mountain torrents. I have on several occasions seen them 
in the vicinity of Rungdung Khola, below Mineral Springs. Their 
food consists chiefly of fruit, which they toss up in the air and catch 
again in their mouths, held open. 
Tough fruits and “pangra” beans, which they are partial to, are 
first crushed between their enormous mandibles before swallowing. 
These hard stone like beans nearly 2 inches in diameter, injure the 
margins of the bill. Among the older birds of bicornis, much wear and 
tear of the bills are prominently shown, pieces of Tomium chipped 
off. Bills of the younger members, being in their natural state 
have regular, serrated edges; as the bird advances in years these 
edges get chipped and broken. The general appearance of the Horn- 
bill suggests (Ramphastide) Zoucans these latter birds, which are 
found in other parts of the world, show a much closer relationship 
to Scansores. Great Hornbill is 48 inches in length ; billlight yellow, 
black at the pointed end, broad casque is red; irides deep brown. 
As seen on the wing it appears more black and white, should it be 
observed closer, seated on the hill side below you or perched on a 
tree, patches of yellow are more noticeable, on the wings and neck. 
This bright yellow colouring is usually the effects of oily substance 
from the gland at the base of tail-coverts, which birds in general 
use freely, when preening their feathers, to prevent them getting 
wet and letting in the rain and water. This large sized bird, and 
the heavy weight it carries, when flying, aided by the powerful 
sweeps of its primaries, produces a sound, which can be heard a 
mile or more off, caused by repeated strokes of its wing. Its flight 
is laboured, at the start or when flying low; but once it has got a 
