DICHOCEKOS. 69 



past the same pair of birds had resorted to that spot for breeding. 

 I lost no time accordingly in going to the place next morning, and 

 was shown a hole high up in the trunk of a moderately large straight 

 tree, branchless for about 50 feet from the ground, in which the 

 female I was told lay concealed. The hole was covered with a 

 thick layer of mud, all but a small space, through which she could 

 thrust the end of her bill, and so receive food from the male. 



" One of the villagers at length ascended with great labour by 

 means of bamboo pegs driven into the trunk, and commenced 

 digging out the clay from the hole. While so employed, the 

 female kept uttering her rattling sonorous cries, and the male 

 remained perched on a neighbouring tree, sometimes flying to and 

 fro and coming close to us. Of him the natives appeared to enter- 

 tain great dread, saying he was sure to assault them ; and it was 

 with some difficulty I prevented them from shooting him before 

 they continued their attack on the nest. When the hole was 

 enlarged sufficiently the man who had ascended thrust in his arm, 

 but was so soundly bitten by the female, whose cries had become 

 perfectly desperate, that he quickly withdrew it, narrowly escaping 

 a tumble from his frail footing. After wrapping his hands in some 

 folds of cloth, he succeeded with some trouble in extracting the 

 bird, a miserable-looking object enough, wasted and dirty. She 

 was handed down and let loose on the ground, where she hopped 

 about, unable to fly, and menacing the bystanders with her bill, 

 and at length ascended a small tree, where she remained, being 

 too stiff to use her wings. At the bottom of the hole, nearly 3 feet 

 from the orifice, was a solitary egg, resting upon mud, fragments 

 of bark, and feathers. It was of a dirty yellowish brownish-white, 

 spindle-shaped or pointed at either end, and of a coarse surface 

 indented with numerous pores ; longitudinal and transverse axes 

 2-LJ" and 1-J" respectively. In the hole were numerous berries, 

 resembling the wild ' Jamoon,' in all stages of decomposition. 

 The female, I should remark, was deeply stained with a yellow 

 exudation from the uropygial gland, frequently observed on the 

 feathers of this species, B. (Uydrocissa) pica, and B. albirostris." 



Mr. W. Theobald makes the following remarks on the breeding 

 of this bird in Tenasserim : " Lays in the third week of February. 

 Eggs, one only, ovato-pyriform. Size, 2-68 inches by 1'88 inch ; 

 colour, pure white ; for the measurement of an egg I am indebted 

 to Captain Tickell, who was fortunate enough to observe the female 

 on the nest." 



The Eeverend Mr. Mason says, however, that they lay from 

 three to five eggs. 



Mr. E. Thompson tells me that " the Great Indian Hornbill 

 begins to breed in April : the young birds are flown by the end of 

 June. They lay in holes of lofty yet hollow trees, sometimes in 

 the valleys, at others on the sides and slopes of well-wooded low 

 hills. I have seen lots of nests of these birds, but never got down 

 their eggs. That the female is a very close sitter I have repeatedly 

 verified. I have watched nest after nest, and have seen the cock 



