386 Lieut. H. R. Kelham on 



beak is without a casque ; bare skin of face dull fleshy purple ; . 

 irides pale bluish-grey ; legs nud feet black ; head, neck, and 

 underparts covered with hairy plumes, in colour white, with 

 black bases, which form a large crest on the head, which 

 the bird can erect or depress at pleasure ; some of the plumes 

 are of great length, and project forwards over the beak. In 

 length the bird is about 36 inches ; but of that the tail is 

 nearly 14 inches ; tips of wing- and tail-feathers white, as are 

 also the ends of sonic of the wing-coverts ; upper plumage 

 black, very faintly glossed with green. This most extraor- 

 dinary-looking creature has a voice as strange as its appear- 

 ance. From the first glimmer of daylight until dark, Avith 

 scarcely a rainute^s cessation, it utters a loud monotonoua 

 hoo I hoo ! hoo ! hoo ! like a dog barking in the distance^ 

 only varied by the most demoniacal shrieks and cries at the 

 sight of food. At this time it stretches out its long thinly- 

 feathered neck, and shakes its .ungainly head from side to side 

 in the most ridiculous manner, as if it were saying no ! no I 

 no ! no ! which it certainly does not mean ; for a greater cor- 

 morant I never came across : plantains, potatoes, oranges, 

 riccj fish, all are eagerly swallowed; in fact it is hard to say 

 what it will refuse. This afternoon it bolted a dead Lark, 

 feathers and all, and even then was not satisfied. First hold- 

 ing its food near the tip of its great beak, it turns the plan- 

 tain, or whatever else it may have, over and over several 

 times 5 finally, getting it lengthwise, it tosses it into the air, 

 catches it in its enormous mouth, and, with a tremendous 

 gulp, bolts the dainty morsel entire, though occasionally, 

 when something unusually tough and indigestible has been 

 swallowed, and the bird apparently feels slightly uncomfort- 

 able inside, the offending morsel is reproduced with a croak 

 of satisfaction, and the tossing and catching performance is 

 again gone through. ^^ 



This Ilornbill became exceedingly tame, and allowed me 

 to carry it about perched on my hand; but its incessant 

 hoots and occasional unearthly shrieks so irritated my neigh' 

 hours, that, after putting up for some days with what I must 

 allow was rather a nuisance, they insisted on the bird^s re- 



