INDIAN HORISTBILL 147 



strange. After the eggs have been laid and the female 

 begins to sit, the male proceeds to plaster up with mud 

 the hole by which she entered, leaving a small aperture 

 out of which she thrusts her bill to receive the food 

 dutifully brought by her lord and master. This is 

 passed to her enclosed in the lining of his stomach, or 

 gizzard, which peels off, enclosing the fruit or other 

 food he has swallowed. She remains imprisoned until 

 the young are fully fledged. 



The Homrai, or Indian, Hornbill, a Malayan 

 species, is a good example of this curious group of 

 birds. See Plate 9, Fig. 39. 



There is one extraordinary exception to the rule 

 with regard to the lightness of the beak. In the Hel- 

 met Hornbill, of the Malay countries, the forepart of 

 the helmet, or casque, which surmounts the beak is of 

 great hardness and density, and is used by Eastern 

 artists for carving ornaments of various kinds, many 

 of which are of remarkable beauty. 



