BUCORVUS CAFER. 



CAFER GROTJND-HOENBILL. 



Buceros abyssinicus cafer, Schleg. Mus. Pays-Bas, Buceros, p. 20. 

 Bucorvus abyssinicus, Gurn. (nee Gmel.), Anderss. B. Damara-1. p. 205 (1872). 



Tmetoceros abyssinicus, Heugl. Orn. N.O.-Afr. p. 731 (1872); Finsch & Hartl. Vog. Ost-Afr. p. 480 (1867). 

 Bucoraoc abyssinicus, Boc. Jorn. Acad. Sc. Lisb. no. viii. (1870) p. 347. 



Bucorax cafer, Boc. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1873) p. 698 ; id. Jorn. Acad. Sc. Lisboa, no. xvi. (1873) p. 284, no. xvii. 

 (1874) p. 57, no. xix. (1876) p. 149; id. Orn. Angola, p. Ill (1877) ; Sharpe in Lay. B. S. Afr. p. 122 (1875). 



Mmungungo (adult) and Inaquendi (young), Natives of the Humbe (Anchieta). 



Hab. Angola, Quillengues, Humbe (Anchieta) ; Damara Land (Andersson) ; Cafe-aria (Schlegel). 



This species of Ground-Hornbill apparently represents the genus in South Africa, as its 

 range seems to be from Angola, through Damara Land, into Caffraria. The exact dispersion of the 

 species, or the extent of its range is not as yet thoroughly ascertained, as most writers have usually 

 considered that there was but one form of Ground-Hornbill, and therefore called all the three 

 species recognized in this work, abyssinicus, the name usually employed for the high opened- 

 casque bird only. 



M. Anchieta, as quoted by Prof. Bocage in his work on the Ornithology of Angola, states 

 that when this species is walking along, the young go behind the adults at a respectful distance 

 and content themselves with seizing whatever may have escaped the voracity of their elders, and 

 therefore the natives believe that they are the slaves of the old ones, are obliged to follow them, 

 and eat whatever they may choose to leave. M. Anchieta also says that they go in small bands 

 and feed upon Coleopterous and other insects. They nest in holes of trees, and lay two eggs. 



In Ondonga, according to Andersson, this species was common, but very wild ; and he had 

 also observed it in the desert near Okavango. They run very rapidly, but perch on trees when 

 flushed. In fact in its habits and economy this bird does not appear to differ in any way from 

 its relatives of the same genus in the northern part of the continent. 



In appearance the Cafer Ground-Hornbill differs from the other forms of Bucorvus mainly in 

 the absence of the plaque at the base of the maxilla, and in the shape of the casque, which at all 

 ages is compressed and closed in front. 



The general plumage is black with bronze reflections, the primaries white. Bare skin around 

 the eyes, throat, and gular pouch yellowish orange inclining somewhat to red, and occasionally 

 dotted with spots of blackish blue. Bill and casque black. Feet black. Iris pale greenish 

 yellow. 





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