68 PICARIAN BIRDS, 



silent." Mr. Andersson says that he has found tliis liornbill in Damaraland and 

 the lake -regions of South-Western Africa. It is seen in snuiU families, rarely 

 exceeding six in number. " In common with the rest of the genus it appears to 

 suffer very much from the heat during the most trying season of the year, when 

 it may be found perched at noon in the shadiest part of the forest, gasping as if 

 for breath- When on the wing this species occasionally uttei-s short, piercing cries." 

 With regard to the Malayan wedge-tailed hombill {^Anorhxnxi8 galeritus) a 

 curious experience is related by Mr. Whitehead, who found a nest of the species in 

 Northern Borneo. He shot three of the birds before he became aware that there 

 was a nest-hole in the tree, but, on being assured of the fact, he sent one of his 

 boys to climb up and let the old female out. When the native wont to do this, 

 he found two or three birds engaged in feeding her and her young one. Mr. 

 Whitehead says that the hole is firmly fastened up with gutta, dii-t, and various 

 gums, and the same hole is frequently used, judging by the heaps of excrement at 

 the foot of the tree. He also considera that the plastering of the hole is necessary 

 to protect the helpless birds against the attacks of monkej's, and the huge tree- 

 climbing monitor lizai-ds, which cause immense destruction among the feathered 

 population of the forests. 



soUd Billed In marked contrast to the light and cell-filled casques of the 



HornbiiL other members of the family, the beak of the solid-billed honibill 

 {Rhinoplax vigil) has, as already mentioned, a perfectly solid casque ; on which 

 account this bird is referred to a separate subfamily. In this species the beak 

 has the consistence and appearance of ivory, and is indeed carved by the Chinese in 

 the same way. The species in question is an inhabitant of Southern Tenasserim, the 

 Malayan Peninsula, and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. In addition to its 

 solid bill, it is remarkable for having the whole of the throat and back of the neck 

 bare. The length of the bird is nearly 5J feet, the tail alone being almost 3 feet 

 long. The genei-al colour is brown, the quills black with white tips, and the tail 

 brown tipped with white, the tips being preceded by a black band. The two 

 central feathers are more than double the length of the next pair, and the outer pair 

 are entirely white. The under surface of the body is white, the breast being brown, 

 the bill yellow, with the posterior portion red, like the bare throat and neck, while 

 the feet and iris are also red. Davison, who found this species in Southern 

 Tenasserim, where he procured a single specimen after much trouble in the 

 evergreen forests of Bankasori and Malwun, says that it is very shy, which is 

 not to be wondered at, since, whenever one appears near a village, everyone who 

 can shoot or can get hold of a gun is sure to try and kill it, as the heads are in 

 great demand for carving into love -charms, bringing as much as fifty rupees. 

 "The birds," he writes, "confine themselves almost exclusively to the evergreen 

 forests, where they frequent the very highest trees. Their note is very peculiar, 

 and can be heard at the distance of a mile or more. It commences with a series of 

 whoops, uttered at intervals of about half a minute for five or ten minutes ; then 

 the interval between each whoop grows shorter and shorter, till the whoop whoop 

 whoop is repeated very quickly ten or a dozen times, the bird ending up by going 

 into a harsh, quacking laugh. Then there is a pause of ten minutes, or a quarter 

 of an hour or more, and then it recommences. It chiefly utters this call in the 



