( 49 ) 

 XXIII 



THE HORNBILLS. 



A small family of large, grotesque looking birds, with enormous 

 bills, many of them having a large protuberance on the top. The 

 largest and most noticeable, The Great Hornbill (No. 1051. Dicho- 

 ceros bicornis) (Burma Aunglaxng has a large, curved, yellow bill, 

 with a sort of box arrangement on the top, and a pied black and 

 white plumage shaded with yellow on the tail feathers, the yellow 

 on the bill and face rubbing off when touched. In length it is about 

 52 inches. It has a deep resonant voice, which, like the noise of its 

 wings when flying can be heard at a great distance. 



There are altogether nine kinds of Hornbills recorded from 

 Burma, the commonest being the Burmese Pied-Hornbill (No. 1053. 

 A. albirostris) which is to be found in all well-wooded tracts, during 

 the cold weather collecting together in large parties. It is a much 

 smaller bird than the first, being about 28 incr.es in length. It has 

 black and white plumage and a yellow bill, with a casque on top. 



The hornbills are also remarkable for their nesting habits, the nest 

 being always in the hole of some big tree, generally at a great height 

 from the ground. The hen bird enters this hole, and with the aid of 

 the cock walls herself up, only leaving sufficient space for her bill to 

 stick out. She then (proceeds) to lay her eggs, and incubate, staying 

 in confinement until the young are ready to fly, during this period 

 the whole family being fed by the male. While in seclusion the hen 

 undergoes a complete moult of feathers. 



Burmese for all horn-bills Aukkyin. 



THE INDIAN HOOPOE. 



This is the familiar fawn-coloured bird with black and white wings, 

 and the conspicuous striped crest, which is erected whenever it alights 

 on the ground or is startled It h.is a graceful undulating flight, and 

 is often to be seen in compounds, sedately walking about, prubing 

 the ground with its long bill. It has a low "hoop, hoop" as a call 

 from which it gets its name. It breeds in holes of trees or buildings, 

 its nest being a very insanitary affair as the hen bird remains inside 

 the whole time she is incubating her eggs, being fed regularly by her 

 mate. In fact the bird shows a preference to smelly surroundings, as 

 dead squirrels and members of the bird's own species have been found 

 composing part of the nest. A pair recorded by Pallas went so far 

 as to nest inside a decomposing human body; the nest when found 

 contained a family of seven. The young have the power of defending 

 themselves by ejecting a fcetid fluid, so that Indian Hoopoe is not a 

 nice bird to play about with. They lay five or six dirty pale green 



e gg s - 



Burmese name Taung-pi-so'. 



^Np. 1067. Upupa indica.) 



