^HF^ 



wmanr**- 



WHITE-BILLED HOKNBILL. 



i 



ANTHRACOCEROS MALAYANUS 



I 





Buceros malayanus, Raffl. Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xiii. p. 292 ; Mull, and Schleg. Verh. Geschied. Nederl. Ind. (1839- 

 44) pp. 23, 29; Hay, Madras Journ. (1844) vol. xiii. p. 151, ?; Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. (1847) p. 

 995 ; G. R. Gray, Gen. Birds (1849) vol. ii. p. 399 ; Blyth, Cat. Birds Mus. Asiat. Soc. (1849) p. 43. sp. 181 ; 

 Wall. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1855) vol. xv. p. 98 ; Schleg. Mus. Pays-B. (1862) p. 7 ; Blyth, Ibis (1866) 

 p. 352; G. R. Gray, Hand-1. Birds (1870) pt. ii. p. 128. sp. 7879; Giebel, Thes. Ornith. (1872) p. 500; Sclat. 

 List Vert. Anim. (1877) p. 225. sp. 352. 

 Buceros antarcticus, Swain. Class. Birds, vol. ii. p. 296. 

 Buceros antracicus, Temm. Plan. Col. vol. ii. no. 529. 

 Buceros bicolor, Eyton, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1839) p. 104 ; Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. (1843) vol. xii. pt. ii. 



p. 995, $ . 

 Buceros elliotti, Lord A. Hay, Madras Journ. (1844) vol. xiii. pt. 2, p. 152; id. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. vol. xvi. 



p. 995. 

 Buceros nigrirostris, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. (1847) p. 995, (1849) p. 803 (?) ; id. Cat. Birds Mus. Asiat. 

 Soc. (1849) p. 44. sp. 182; Wall. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1855) vol. xv. p. 98 ; G. R. Gray, Hand-1. Birds 

 (1870) pt. ii. p. 128. sp. 7881. 

 Hydrocissa malayana, Bon. Consp. Gen. Av. (1850) p. 90. sp. 5 ; Horsf. and Moore, Cat. Birds Mus. E.-Ind. Co. 

 (1856-8) vol. ii. p. 592. no. 872 ; Moore, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1859) p. 448 ; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. (1860) 

 Th. ii. p. 170. no. 468. 

 Hydrocissa nigrirostris, Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds Mus. E.-Ind. Co. (1856-8) vol. ii. p. 593. sp. 873 ; Moore, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. (1859) p. 449. 



Hab. Malayan peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo (Blyth). 



The female of this species was described by Blyth as B. nigrirostris ; but Wallace states that 

 he shot both the yellow- and black-billed birds on the same tree, and on dissection the black- 

 billed ones proved to be females. There are four specimens now before me, collected by 

 Mr. Wallace — two yellow-billed and two with black bills. One of each of these possess the 

 broad white superciliary stripe ; the other two have not this mark. Whether this is assumed when 

 old, or is a character of the nuptial state only — whether there may be two species, one with this 

 conspicuous mark and one without it, I am unable to state. All four specimens are apparently 

 fully adult ; and the two white-billed ones, having the posterior terminus of the casque black, 

 are without doubt males ; for it is seemingly a law in birds of this family with light-coloured bills 

 that the female should have the hind part of the casque of a different colour from that observed 

 in the male ; and if the bird with the white casque and without the stripe were a female, the hind 

 part of the casque would be white like the bill. Believing Mr. Wallace's statement to be correct 

 regarding the sex, we must wait further information as to when or at what period of their life the 

 white superciliary stripe is assumed by both sexes. Possibly it indicates the seasonal dress. 



