504 ( The Roller-like Birds 



idea is, that the bird has so offensive a smell that it will 'make the water sick/ 

 and that the only way of getting rid of this is to wash it away to the sea, which 

 can only be done by heavy rains and flooding of the river." Of the habits of 

 these Hornbills in Natal, Mr. Ayres says: "These birds are gregarious and to be 

 found here all the year round, but not very plentiful, generally three or four, 

 sometimes more being found together. They are very fond of hunting for 

 their food on ground from which the grass has been burnt; with their strong 

 bills they peck up the hard ground, and turn over lumps in search of insects, 

 making the dust fly again; having found an insect or other food, they take it 

 up, and giving the head a toss, the bill pointing upward, appear to let the food 

 roll down the throat. They also kill large snakes." The nest is said to be placed 

 in a hollow tree, and the eggs to be large and white. 



Rhinoceros Hornbills. The remainder of the Hornbills, with a single ex- 

 ception, comprise the true representatives of the group, and may be typified 

 by the Rhinoceros Hornbills (Buceros}, the bills of which appear to have been the 

 first to find their way to Europe at least as early as 1599, where they created no 

 little surprise and wonder. These Hornbills, of which two species are known, 

 are birds of very large size, with a large, stout, and considerably curved bill, 

 and a large, wedge-shaped, elevated casque. The true Rhinoceros Hornbill (B. 

 rhinoceros}, which inhabits the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, has a 

 total length of forty-five inches and a wing of eighteen inches; the head, neck, 

 back, wings, and breast are black, glossed with steel-blue on back and wings, 

 while the rump, upper and under tail-coverts, thighs, abdomen, and tail are 

 white, the latter with a subterminal band of black. The bill is whitish yellow, 

 and the mandibles and casque black, while the remainder of the casque is red, 

 shading to orange on the lower part. This species, as indeed are all the true 

 Hornbills, is arboreal in its habits and feeds largely on fruit, but it will also take 

 a great variety of substances when it is held in captivity, as it frequently is by 

 the natives and others. The following account is from the pen of Mr. C. F. Adams, 

 who collected for some time in Northeast Borneo: " They are abundant in those 

 regions along the rivers where fruit trees occur, and their peculiar, sonorous 

 notes can be heard at a considerable distance. Although these birds were 

 numerous and could easily be located by their calls, they were difficult to procure. 

 So far as wariness is concerned, they can put a Crow to shame, and it is very 

 seldom that one can be approached within gunshot. Owing to their striking 

 colors, they are very conspicuous objects in the trees, a fact of which they seem 

 to be aware. Their flight consists of several rapid wing beats, followed by 

 majestic sailing, during which they gradually rise to a greater elevation. The 

 sound produced by their wings during flight is astonishingly loud and often 

 betrays their presence to a collector." The other species (B. sylvestris\ found in 

 Java and Sumatra, is similar in appearance but much larger, being forty-seven 

 inches long, and has a larger casque, which is, however, only slightly curved 

 upward at the front. 



The Two-horned Hornbill (Dichoceros bicornis} of the Indo-Chinese countries, 

 the Malayan Peninsula, and Sumatra is the largest member of the group, being 



