330 ZOOLOGY. 



able from that of South Africa. If so, it must bear 

 Ehrenberg's name, B. Forshali. The dimensions are :— 



^. _ ., Bill, nostril Bill, gape Height of bill 



WiDg. J-aii. jj, ^jp to tip_ across nostril. 



in, in. in. in. in. 



Male 8-7 8-4 3-3 3-9 1-2 



Female .... 7-5 7-1 2-5 3-4 1-05 



71. Bucorvus abyssinicus (Gm.). 



Buceros abyssinicus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 358. 



Abbagumba and Erkoom, Bruce, Travels, vol. v. p. 169, with plate. 



Tragopan abyssinicus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 320. 



Bucorax abyssinicus, Brehm, Habesch, No. 109. 



Iris brown, legs dusky, bill and casque black. In the 

 female the skin of the neck is purple, in the male bright 

 red, in part at least, and at all seasons ; but I believe the 

 extent of the red differs in different individuals, perhaps 

 with age, and it may be absent in the young. 



The Abbagumba is one of the most extraordinary birds 

 of Africa. Belonging to a famUy essentially consti- 

 tuted for perching and climbing, it has the legs modified 

 so as to enable it to seek its food entirely on the ground. 

 To any one accustomed to the Hornbills of India and 

 Malayasia it is as startling to see one of the fanuly stalk- 

 ing over the ground in an open plain, as it would be to 

 find plovers feeding in trees. 



I paid some attention to the habits and food of this 

 curious bird. It is almost entirely insectivorous ; ia every 

 case in which I examined the stomach the contents were 

 principally large beetles and locusts. In one instance I 

 found remains of scorpions and some large spiders; in 



