THE SEARCHERS. 1 35 



during its search for food. The stomachs of such of these birds as we examined contained only 

 fruits, seeds, and insects, but it is probable that they also plunder nests and devour small quadrupeds. 

 Heuglin mentions having seen a nearly-allied species on a piece of carrion, but whether it was 

 employed in consuming it or merely in gleaning the flies from its surface he was unable to ascertain. 

 The Arabs state that the Tok deposits its eggs in holes in trees, at the commencement of the rainy 

 season. 



The TWO-HORNED HORNBILLS {Dkhoceros), as the Indian representatives of this family 

 are called, are recognised by the large, high, broad appendage, divided into two portions in front, 

 which covers a considerable part of the forehead, and extends over one-third of the beak. 



THE HOMRAY. 



The HoMRAY, or Great Two-horned Hornbill {Dkhoceros buornis), is principally black ; the 

 throat, tips of the upper tail-covers, the lower tail-covers, and a spot on the wing, the base of the 

 primaries, the extremities of all the quills and entire tail-feathers, with the exception of a broad ' 

 black band near the tip, are white ; occasionally the feathers of the throat and wings have a yellowish 

 shade. The eye is scarlet, the upper mandible and its appendage red, shading into yellow, the latter 

 black at its extremity ; the lower portion of the beak is yellow, tipped with red ; a dark brown line 

 passes along the centre of the bill,' which is greyish black at its base ; the bare skin around the e}'es 

 is black, and the foot deep brown. This species is four feet long, the wing measures from nineteen 

 to twenty, and the tail seventeen inches ; the beak ten inches ; its appendage is seven inches and 

 a half long and three inches and a half broad. 



The Horar-iy frequents the high-standing woods of India, from its extreme south to the 

 Himalayas, and from the Malabar coast to Assam, Burmah, and the Malay peninsula ; it is also 

 occasionally seen on the island of Trincomalee. 



" This large Hornbill," says Jerdon, " is found in the forests of Malabar, from the extreme south 

 up to Goa, and also in the Himalayas ; I have not seen it in any other of tlie forest regions. It is also 

 common in Assam, Burmah, the Malay peninsula, and in Sumatra. I have seen it but rarely in the 

 forests of Malabar below the Ghats. It is generally met with on the sides of the hills. I have seen 

 it up to five thousand feet on the eastern slope of the Neilgherries ; and on the Himalayas, near 

 Darjeeling, at a height of from three thousand to five thousand feet. Hodgson states that it tenants 

 the lower ranges of hills contiguous to the plains. It is sometimes seen in pairs, occasionally in 

 small flocks, generally keeping to the thickets and jungle or to lofty trees, but is sometimes to be 

 found seated on a high tree in an open space ; the same writer says that it seems to prefer the most 

 open and cultivated spots in the wilds it inhabits, these spots being usually limited to the banks of 

 rivers. This naturalist must have seen many more of this species than I have done, for he speaks of 

 twenty to thirty birds being commonly found in the same vicinity, and six or eight on the same tree. 

 I never saw a flock of more than five or six, either in the south of India or in the Sikim Himalayas, 

 and even that very rarely. It is in general rather a silent bird, making merely a deep but very loud 

 croak. Occasionally, however, when a party are together, they utter most loud, harsh, and discordant 

 cries. Hodgson says that the clamour made by a wounded bird is perfectly amazing. ' I cannot,' 

 says he, ' liken this vehement vociferation to anything but the braying of a jackass ; its power is 

 extraordinary, and is the consequence of an unusually osseous structure of the rings of the trachea.' 

 The Homray flies with more repeated flappings of its wings than the other Hornbills, only in 

 general sailing just before alighting on a tree. The noise of its wings can be heard more than a mile 

 distant. Like the others, it builds in holes in large trees ; the male builds the female in, by covering 



