Ornithology of Northern Borneo. 17 



Jr. Iris blue ; bill dull red at tip, pea-green at base ; 

 skin on face bright king's yellow. 



[Fairly common. Also occurs on Kina Balu up to 1000 

 feet. I fouud a nest of this species in an old tree, the 

 female and a young one being securely fastened in by gums 

 and resins. The curious part, however, was that there were 

 no less than five other Hornbills feeding her, including 

 males and females. I shot three birds at the tree on the 

 first day, before I discovered the nest, which had evidently 

 been used many times, judging by the excrement at the foot 

 of the tree ; and on the following day there were two other 

 birds feeding the imprisoned hen. The Hornbills build up 

 the hen in a tree, leaving only a small hole through which 

 to feed her : this is done for defensive purposes against 

 large tree-lizards and monkeys. 



The young bird taken was well feathered and lived a long 

 time, feeding voraciously on boiled rice and fruit j but the 

 little fellow made such an incessant noise (like a wet cork 

 rubbed on a bottle) that I had frequently to send him to 

 some distance from my hut. This one day caused his death, 

 through my boy putting the basket in a place where the bird 

 got too much sun, which killed it. The hen bird was so 

 weak after her imprisonment that for a long time she was 

 unable to fly. The curious change of colour in the soft 

 parts which the young bird undergoes before becoming 

 adult is interesting.] 



Fam. Merofid^e. 



248. Merops sumatranus. 



Merops sumatranus, Rafll. ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1879, p. 329; 

 id. Ibis, 1879, p. 248 ; id. P. Z. S. 1881, p. 793. 



Merops bicolor, Salvad. t. c. p. 90; Sharpe, Ibis, 1876, 

 p. 33, 1877, p. 5. 



a,b. 6 2 ad. Abai, March 2, 1888. 

 c. 6 ad. Benkoka, Oct. 21, 1885. 



[Fairly common in open places. In habits similar to all 

 the rest of the family. Nests in holes in the ground, laying 



SER. vi. — VOL. II. c 



