114 BUCEEOTID^E LOPHOCEEOS 



times when alarmed, but takes its departure again on the least sign 

 of danger. It seldom flies far at a time, but if closely pressed extends 

 its flight each time it is dislodged and soon distances its enemy. 

 The flight of this and other Hornbills is not unlike that of a Wood- 

 pecker, dipping and rising alternately. The present species feeds 

 on flowers, young shoots, berries, birds' eggs and insects ; and, in 

 fact, little comes amiss to it. I have found much gravel in the 

 stomach, and have often flushed it from the ground, to which it 

 resorts for the purpose of picking up sand as well as food." 



430. Lophoceros epirhinus. South African Grey Hornbill. 



Buceros epirhinus, Sundev. Ofvers. K. Vet. Akad. Forh. 1850, p. 108 

 (1851). 



Buceros nasutus, Ayres (nee Linn.}, Ibis, 1871, p. 260 [Limpopo] ; 

 1879, p. 294 [Eustenburg]. 



Tockus nasutus, Gurney in Anderssorfs B. Damar aland, p. 206 (1872) ; 

 Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 365 [Bamangwato] ; Sharpe, ed.Layard's B. 

 S. Afr. p. 133 (1875). 



Lophoceros nasutus, Elliot, Monog. Bucerot. pi. 47 (1877). 



Lophoceros epirhinus, Holub & Pelz. Orn. Siid-Afrikas, p. 140 

 (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1888, p. 64 ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xvii, p. 408 

 (1892) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 498 (1896) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 498 

 [Zululand] ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 100 (1899) ; Alexander, 

 Ibis, 1900, p. 101 [Zambesi] ; Marshall, ibid. p. 249 [Mashonaland] . 



Description. Adult male. Head dark ashy with black shaft- 

 streaks bordered on either side by a broad white eyebrow ; mantle, 

 back, wings and tail brown ; an ill-defined pale central streak down 

 the middle of the back ; wing-coverts and secondaries edged with 

 pale buffy- white on both webs, primaries on the outer web only ; 

 central pair of tail feathers not tipped with white, outer pair 

 slightly, others strongly so tipped ; below, dark ashy with black 

 shaft stripes on the throat, cheeks and ear-coverts gradually fading 

 on the lower breast to pure white on the abdomen and lower tail- 

 coverts ; bill with a small but well-developed casque separated at 

 its tip from the upper mandible and obtusely pointed ; the edges of 

 both mandibles scalloped ; colour black, a pale yellow streak on the 

 upper mandible above the cutting edge and three or four narrow 

 diagonal yellow lines on the lower mandible. 



Iris reddish-brown ; legs and feet black. 



