552 JOURNAL, FOMBAY NATURAL HIST, SOCIETY, Vol, XXVIII. 
Mr. M. 8. Tuggersee writing of the second hornbill says “ I visited the tree on 
the 18th January. The mother bird was locked up in the nest and I could see 
only the bill from the slit which the male bird provides in the nest for the purpose 
of feeding the bird during the time of captivity. The egg was not hatched then 
but early in April the mother bird flew away and the young one was caught on 
the 17th April. When catching it both male and female parent birds came there 
and made a tremendous noise but did not come near the man who climbed the 
tree’. Both Mr. Tuggersee and Mr. Kaikini are of opinion that the birds use 
the same nests year after year; in fact the nest from which Mr. Tuggersee 
removed the young hornbill was one from which Mr. T. R. Bell took an egg 20 
years previously. 
Lastly an interesting point is mentioned by Mr. Pyecraft in regard to the feed- 
ing of the hen bird by the male. Writing presumably of the Rhinocercs hornbill 
(B. rhinoceros) Pyecraft says: ‘‘ During the period of solitary confinement, as 
we have remarked, she is assiduously fed by the mate and thereby hangs a tale 
as wonderful as anything in nature wonderful, because her daily rations are 
passed to her in the form of a bolus, the investing coat being furnished by the 
inner lining of the gizzard of the male: at least this is the commonly accepted 
explanation of the structure of the capsule though itis probable that it may 
prove tc be formed by a special glandular secretion when the matter is further 
investigated. This is the more likely interpretation because according to other 
accounts each meal is divided into from two to four pellets containing fruit 
seeds, insects, portions of reptiles which the devoted cock transfers into the 
gazing mouth of his fair prisoner by a series of jerks.” I can find no information 
as regards this point in connection with the Great Indian Hornbill. In Hume’s 
Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds, Mr. R. Thompson states that he has watched 
nest after nest and has seen the cock with his throat full of berries coming to the 
hen and feeding her. Perhaps members of the Society who are interested wil! be 
able to throw further light on the points raised in this article. 
(1) Is the concavity of the casque in the Great Indian Hornbill a sexual 
character ? 
(2) Does the female undergo a complete moult during the period of nidifica- 
tion ? 
(3) In what form is the food supplied by the cock to the sitting hen ?. 
S. H. PRATER, c.M.z.s. 
No. XIX.—NOTES ON A FIGHT BETWEEN THE INDIAN SCREECH 
OWL AND A COBRA. 
Sometime ago, whilst stationed at Ferozepore, I had in my possession a pet 
black cobra, about five feet in length and also some young screech owls. 
One afternoon, when the cobra was out for exercise, on the drive of my bunga- 
low, it crawled near to the owlets cage ; suddenly a bird flew past my head and 
attacked the cobra, giving it a blow with its wing, the bird proved to be an adult 
owl. 
The snake at once coiled up and raised its head at the same time expanding 
its hood ; the owl hovered in front of the snake, but kept out of reach ; whilst 
the snake’s attention was attracted by the first owl, a second owl attacked it 
from behind, knocking it down to the ground. The owls then alternately attack- 
ed the snake, knocking it down each time it raised its head. After this had 
happened four or five times, I thought that the snake had been sufficiently troub- 
led for one day and so picked it up; on examining it I found that its lower jaw 
