ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM COCOAWATTE ESTATE. 293 



39. Tockus cingalensis, Shaw, the Ceylonese Hornbill. — -Very 

 common and occurs up to 4,000 feet. I found a nest on August 25th, 

 1894. It was iu a hole in a small tree (about a foot in diameter) on a 

 patna hillside at edge of jungle. The hole was about 15 feet from the 

 ground; the original diameter of the entrance had been about 6 inches, 

 but it had been reduced by plastering with cement to about 2^ inches. 

 The hole was about 18 inches deep, and contained one large young one 

 which I took. There was no lining of any sort to the cavity ; only 

 a few small dried up fruits and berries under the nestling. The 

 old bird betrayed its secret by flying into the tree with a frait in its 

 bill, but glided off again on finding itself observed, and did not 

 reappear while I was at the nest. The young bird only lived for a 

 week, though it fed greedily on plantains and seemed to be doing well. 

 A description of the nestling may be of interest : — Bill with no trace 

 of serrations ; upper mandible greenish-grey at basal half, yellow 

 along culmen and at tip. Feet dusky greenish ; eyelid dirty 

 yellow ; bare skin round orbit dark flesh-colour. Iris dark bluish- 

 grey with an inner circle of brown. Secondaries and a few feathers 

 on the back edged with fulvous. Plumage otherwise of same colour 

 as in adult. The material employed in plastering up the entrance is a 

 hard a.nd light cement of a dark brown colour, apparently the dried 

 ordure of the bird, as it seems to be composed of disjected seeds and 

 pulp of fruit, with a few minute fragments of green beetle's wings in it. 

 As far as I could see in this case the hole must have been enlarged 

 to release the sitting hen and narrowed ao-ain to confine the nestlino^. 

 Of another nest I have the following note : — April 30th, 1895. This 

 evening saw a hornbill fly into a tall tree in jungle with something in 

 its bill. Sannassy climbed the tree, and then saw the nest hole in the 

 one nest to it, about 50 feet from the ground. He climbed across to 

 it by a " jungle rope " which grew between the trees, rather a dan- 

 gerous performance, and after peering into the hole announced one 

 white egg and a hornbill inside. Had to leave the nest till next 

 morning for want of a chisel. The hole was a mere slit so that the 

 man could not get his hand in beyond the fingers, nor was it narrowed 

 by cement. How on earth the hen bird got in I cannot make out. 

 As the tree was hollow for a long way down there must have been 

 another entrance concealed by the creepers which grew thickly all up 

 the trunk. I revisited the nest next day, and sent Sannassy up with a 



