4894 THE ZooLocistT—APRIL, 1875. 
measure two feet, and one foot ten inches. There is an enormous 
protuberance ou the bill of the male, in shape like a helmet, which 
makes it look as if it had a double bill. Its colour is black, glossed 
with green; the belly, rump, and tips of the wings and tail are 
pure white; the bill, legs and feet are black. The bird is much 
more wild and unsociable than the common hornbill, and flies with 
great strength and speed. Its cry is loud and harsh, sometimes 
like the mewing of a cat; at other times it cries in a fretful manner, 
as if in pain. We constantly see flocks of these birds flying high 
overhead or alighting in the branches of a huge banyan, where 
they feast upon their favourite food, the Indian fig. We have not 
yet discovered their nests, but they are said to build in the crevices 
of the most inaccessible rocks. Closely allied to these birds is 
a third species of hornbill, Bucorvus Abyssinicus, which is very 
abundant in Natal, where it is called the “turkey buzzard.” Its 
plumage is black ; it is about the size of a turkey, and, at a distance, 
does not look unlike one, although in its habits it more resembles 
the vulture, feeding largely upon carrion. ‘The turkey buzzard 
is very useful in clearing the country of snakes and other reptiles, 
of which it devours enormous numbers. Its voice has a booming 
sound, not unlike distant thunder, and can be heard a long way off. 
It is generally heard crying before rain, from which fact the natives 
think that it has the power of bringing rain: they are very super- 
stitious regarding this bird, and believe that if one is killed near 
their kraals some misfortune will be sure to happen. On the 29th 
of November, 1872, we found the nest of a pair of these birds; it 
was built of sticks in a large tree standing by itself in the open 
country; in it there were two young ones, one much larger than © 
the other: the larger of these birds we reared and had for a 
long time tame: when young we had to feed it entirely on meat, 
but as it grew up it found a good deal of its own food in the garden. 
We had to part with the turkey buzzard at last, as it took to 
destroying poultry, swallowing the young chicken whole. It had 
a voracious appetite, which nothing seemed able to appease. We 
have seen one of these birds walking about the place with part of 
a long snake protruding from its mouth, waiting to finish its meal 
as soon as the first part was digested. The following season we 
took from the same nest a fine specimen of their egg. The 
egg is very strong, larger than a turkey’s, and of a dull white 
colour. 
“4 ft - ee tere 
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