286 cassell's book of birds. 



blackish violet, marked with dark coloured undulating lines ; the belly and legs are deep grey. The 

 helmet is dark green ; a spot in front of the light brown eyes, and a streak which passes from the ear- 

 to the fore part of the throat are pure white .; the wings are of a magnificent bright red, and bordered 

 with yellowish green. The eye is surrounded by a ring of small reddish brown warts ; the upper 

 mandible is green, as far as the nostrils, and blood-red at its tip ; the feet are brownish grey. The 

 length of this species is about seventeen inches, its breadth twenty-one inches and a half; its wing 

 measures six inches and three-quarters, and the tail eight inches and a quarter; the female is some- 

 what smaller than her mate, but does not differ from him in other respects. The Helmet Bird is 

 found either at a considerable altitude in the mountains, or frequenting well-watered and thickly- 

 wooded valleys, where it passes the greatest part of its life in flying from one tree to another in small 

 flocks, only coming to die ground for a few moments at a time when in want of food, and imme- 

 diately returning to seek shelter in the branches. When occupied in this manner the movements of 

 this species resemble those of the Jackdaw, for the whole party docs not alight at the same time, but 

 steal down one by one, preserving the strictest silence, and after following exactly in the steps of 

 their leader, return to the sycamore or tamarind tree that has been selected as a general rendezvous;, 

 here they assemble regularly both at night and during the mid-day heat, and when thus congregated 

 at the summits of the branches, present a spectacle of such brilliancy and beauty as cannot fail to 

 excite the admiration of all who see them. They hop and fly with the greatest liveliness and activity 

 from bough to bough, and, apparently, are by no means desirous of eluding observation. Their flight 

 is undulating, and effected by a series of violent strokes until the desired height is attained ; the bird 

 then spreads its wings as though to display itself to the utmost advantage, and sinks slowly towards 

 the ground before again rising and continuing its course. During these evolutions the neck is out- 

 stretched, the head elevated, and the tail alternately opened and closed. The voice of the Helmet 

 Bird is very peculiar, and has somewhat the effect of ventriloquism, often misleading the listener as to 

 the position of the owner. We found both berries and seeds in the crops of some specimens that we 

 killed, and observed that they were always most numerous in localities where the former abounded; 

 we also procured a pure white egg from the ovary of the female Helmet Bird, which was not unlike 

 the egg of a domestic pigeon, both in size and shape, but distinguishable from it by the superior 

 delicacy and polish of the shell ; the nest we could never discover, but believe it to be built in the 

 trunk of a tree. These birds are so extremely shy and restless, as to render their capture a work of 

 great difficulty, if the sportsman should not succeed in taking them unawares whilst disporting them- 

 selves in the crowns of their favourite trees. Verreaux mentions a very curious fact connected with 

 this species, namely, that the magnificent purple of the tail-feathers entirely loses its beauty when 

 exposed to moisture, and that the colour may be rubbed off with the fingers when wet ; but as soon as 

 the plumage is dry it recovers its full brilliancy of tint. A strange illustration of this peculiarity was 

 afforded in the case of a Helmet Bird in the Amsterdam Zoological Gardens, which, having been 

 seized with cramp, was drenched with cold water ; some hours afterwards the creature died, and it 

 was then discovered that the wing upon which it lay was still wet, and had changed from red to blue,, 

 while the upper wing had dried before death ensued, and had therefore regained its full gorgeousness 



of hue. 



THE TURAKO. 



The Turako {Corythacola cristatd) may be regarded as the giant of this family. It is a very 

 remarkable species, resembling the Helmet Birds in some respects, but differing from them in others so 

 decidedly as to cause it to be regarded by some as the type of a distinct group. These birds are 

 remarkable for the great size of their limbs, and also present marked peculiarities in the formation of 

 the beak, and in the crests with which their heads are adorned. Their body is powerfully constructed, 



