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ART. X. — Description of a new Buceros, and a notice of the Buceros elatus, 

 (Temm.,) both of which are in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of 

 Philadelphia. By John Cassin. 



BUCEROS, Linn. 

 PI. 15. 



B. ALBO-CRisTATUS, nobis. — Caplte habente cristam, erectam, albamque ; plumis totis subtiliter nigro 

 terminatis ; multis etiam ad basem nigris hoc colore sursum per scapum extendente. Rostro nigro ; 

 macula magna, flavido-alba, ab basi ad mandibulae superioris medium extendente. Corpore toto, alls, 

 caudaque nigris, nitore nonnullo virescente. Remigibus, primariis et secundariis, maculis apicalibus, 

 parvis et albis primariorum nonnulis maculis parvis et albis pogonio externo. Cauda longissima^ 

 gradata; duabus rectricibus intermedlis caeteris longioribus poUicibus nonnulis; totis margine apicali 

 large albo terminatis. 



Long. tot. (exuviffi) ab rostri apice usque ad caudae finem, 30 poll.; caudse 17 poll. 



Hah. In Africa occidentali. 



Head with an erect crest, which is white, every feather minutely tipped with black ; many feathers of the 

 crest are also black at their bases, with that colour extending upwards along their shafts. Bill black, 

 with a large yellowish white spot extending from the base to the middle of the upper mandible. 

 Whole of the body, wings, and tail black, with a green lustre. Primary and secondary quills with 

 small white spots at their tips ; several of the primaries have also small white spots on their outer 

 webs. Tail very long, graduated, the two middle feathers exceeding all the others by several inches ; 

 all the tail feathers largely tipped with white. 



Total length (of skin) from tip of bill to end of tail, two feet six inches, of which the tail alone measures 

 seventeen inches. 



Hob. Western Africa. 



The specimen above described, I received several years since from Robert 

 MacDowell, M. D., surgeon, attached to the colonial government of Sierra Leone, 

 an enthusiastic naturalist, who obtained'it on the banks of St. Paul's river. 



This species resembles no other which I have seen, or of which I can find a 

 description, and may at once be recognized by its white erect crest and long tail. 



From the same gentleman I have received several other specimens of this genus, 

 also, from Western Africa, one of which is the Buceros elatus, Temm., of which a 

 figure of the head and bill is given in PI. Col., 521, and another, perhaps the female 

 of the same species; as such, however, 1 do not feel warranted in describing it at 

 present, the bills of the two specimens differing more materially than I have been 

 accustomed to see in the same species. 



Two crania of the Buceros elatus are in the collection of Dr. Morton, one of which 

 is undoubtedly from Western Africa. As this species appears to be known only from 

 the figure of the cranium and beak above alluded to, I take the liberty of giving a 

 description of the specimen which I suppose to be a male. 



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