THE BIRDS OF NORTH CACHAR. 565 



lie liad left; by the tree ; immediately, however, his back was turned, the 

 bird, which looked too tattered and weak to loalh, flew off. It settled 

 again about 100 3^ards off for a few seconds and then went right away, 

 and, though I haunted that nullah for days, I never saw either male 

 or female again. 



The entrance to the hollow of this nest was only very partially blocked, 

 and the material seemed to be far less cement-like and hard than that 

 used by most hornbills, for the Naga chipped it off with his fingers. 

 The entrance was large enough for the bird's whole head to come out. 



The natural hollow inside was a large, but rather shallow, one extend- 

 ing about a foot both above and below the entrance. 



The egg is just like that of Anthrococeros, perhaps a trifle larger 

 than most. Although quite fresh when taken, it is a dull brown-fawn, 

 in colour not unlike a very dirty Brahmaputra fowl's egg ; it is densely 

 covered with very minute pits, and the texture is much coarser than 

 any eggs which I have of Anthrococeros, It measures 1'87" by 1*374", 

 and is in shape a very regular oval, very slightly pointed at the smaller 

 end. It was taken on 19th May, 1893. The cry of this bird is very 

 different to that of the other birds of the family, and I can think of 

 nothing which it resembles more than a subdued -trumpet of a peafowl, 

 with variations of the usual cacklings and shrieks of the family, all of 

 which, though loud and resonant, sound to me less harsh than usuaL 



In addition to the Jetinga Valley, where it may nearly always be 

 met with, and Gunjong, where I have seen it as noted, I have met with 

 it on the Barail range overlooking the Jetinga at a height of about 

 3,400 feet. 



(475) AcEEOS NEPALENSis. — The Rufous-necked Hornbill. 

 Hume^ No. 146. 



The only egg I now have of this bird is 2'92" by 1*93", but I have 

 sent away a good many, none of which were anything like as small as 

 those mentioned in Hume's " Nests and Eggs,'' which are, I should 

 say, quite abnormal. 



It breeds here only, as far as I know, at considerable elevations, all 

 my eggs having been taken from trees over 3,000 feet up. It is by no 

 means rare above this height, and may also be met with right down to 

 the plains. The noise made by this bird in flying is nearly, if not quite, 

 as loud as that made by Dischoceros bicornis. 



