524 MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



like a kind of helmet. Both the beak and the appendage 

 above it are rendered ligh't by the presence of numerous air- 

 cells. The Horn-bills are exclusively confined to the warm 

 countries of the eastern hemisphere, and are the largest of all 

 the Insessorial birds, sometimes attaining the size of a goose. 

 They live on fruits, and make their nests in the holes of trees. 

 The best-known species is the Rhinoceros Bird (Buceros Rhino- 

 ceros] of India and the Indian Archipelago. 



The family of the Corvidce, or Crows, is an extremely exten- 

 sive one, and includes a large number of very dissimilar-look- 

 ing birds, all characterised by their long, strong, and com- 

 pressed beaks, the tip of the upper mandible being slightly 

 hooked and more or less notched. In this family are the 

 Jays (Garrulina)') the true Crows or Corvince (comprising the 

 Rooks, Carrion-crows, Ravens, Jackdaws, Magpie, Chough, 

 &c.), and the Birds of Paradise (Paradisticfa). These last 

 differ considerably from the ordinary Corvtda, but can hardly 

 be separated as a distinct family. They are amongst the most 

 beautiful of all birds, and are entirely confined to New Guinea 

 and the neighbouring islands. They feed upon insects and 

 fruit, and are largely destroyed for the sake of their feathers. 

 The natives who capture them usually cut off their legs ; hence 

 the notion formerly prevailed that the Birds of Paradise were 

 destitute of these limbs. It is only the males which possess 

 the brilliant plumage, the females being soberly dressed ; and 

 in accordance with this fact, it is stated that the Birds of Para- 

 dise are polygamous, being in this respect an exception to 

 almost the entire order of the Insessores* "They are char- 

 acterised by extraordinary developments of plumage, which are 

 unequalled in any other family of birds. In several species 

 large tufts of delicate, bright-coloured feathers spring from 

 each side of the body, forming trains, fans, or shields ; 

 and the middle feathers of the tail are often elongated into 

 wires, twisted into fantastic shapes, or adorned with the most 

 brilliant metallic tints. In another set of species, the accessory 

 plumes spring from the head, the back, or the shoulders ; whilst 

 the intensity of colour and of metallic lustre displayed by their 

 plumage, is not to be equalled by any other birds, except, per- 

 haps, the Humming-birds, and is not surpassed by these" 

 (Wallace). 



The family of the Starlings (Sturnidce) is not separated from 

 that of the Crows by any important characters. Besides our 

 common Starlings,, it includes a number of other more or less 



* The Humming-birds are thought to he polygamous, and this is cer- 

 tainly the case with the Whydah Finch ( Vidtta). 



