greatly confused. The authors just quoted conferred two names upon it — B.forskalii, given to a 

 male, and B. hemileucus, to a female. Cuvier called it hastatus, and La Eresnaye bestowed the 

 title of B. poecilorhyncJius, which term was adopted by Bonaparte and some others. It is a bird 

 of very wide distribution, as it is found in Abyssinia on the east, and is also an inhabitant of 

 Damaraland on the west coast. It probably extends its range pretty much over the continent. 



Andersson states that it does not occur in Great Namaqualand. It goes in small flocks of 

 about six individuals, roosts on large trees, perching upon branches about halfway up, and 

 returns nightly to the same place. It rarely alights upon the highest branches. During the hot 

 weather it suffers apparently greatly from the heat, and seeks the shadiest part of the forest, 

 where it gasps as if for breath, and may be easily approached. When flying, it occasionally utters 

 short piercing cries. 



Although almost omnivorous, the principal food of this species consists of berries, young 

 shoots, and insects. The irides are reddish brown. Mr. Ayres found this bird common along the 

 Limpopo ; and he also received it from the Megaliesberg, a range of wooded mountains about 

 seventy miles from Potchefstrom. Once he was greatly astonished to observe one of these birds 

 perched on a tall tree singing very prettily, with a voice like that of a Thrush. 



Messrs. Dresser and Blanford having examined Ehrenberg's type of Buceros forshalii, state 

 (I. c.) that it is scarcely distinguishable from B. nasutits, but appears to be larger and has a longer- 

 wing. The type is said to have come from Arabia ! There were three specimens in the col- 

 lection ; and one from Abyssinia had the longest wing, but in all its other measurements it was 

 the smallest. These slight variations in size do not seem to be sufficient for a specific difference, 

 as they are evidently not constant in examples even from any one locality ; and I have not 

 hesitated to place B.forsJcalii among the synonyms of L. nasutus. 



In his notes attached to Dr. Einsch's article on the birds of North-eastern Abyssinia and the 

 Bogos Country (Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vii. p. 278), Mr. Jesse states that this species was found from 

 Ain to the Anseba, and its note was so variable that it was a source of constant trouble and 

 disappointment, as it led him always to expect to find some different species. He noticed it 

 hawking for insects in a very awkward manner ; it would also eat fruit. 



The adult has the bill black, with the exception of a long triangular-shaped bright-yellow mark 

 from the base, reaching halfway along the sides of the maxilla. On the mandible are three or 

 four fine transverse lines also bright yellow. The culmen is swollen at the base, forming a 

 diminutive casque that extends along the bill for a little over half its length, terminating in a 

 projecting point. Head and throat dark grey, darkest on the throat, but graduating to a light brown 

 upon the breast. A very broad whitish superciliary stripe from the base of the bill to the occiput. 

 Back and wings dark brown, every feather broadly margined with white. Entire underparts pure 

 white. Tail blackish brown, all the feathers except the two central ones tipped with white. 

 Tarsus brownish black. Iris reddish brown. Total length, including bill, 18 inches ; wing 8 ; 

 tail 9; bill along gape 3|; length of casque 2J; tarsus 1. Sexes alike. 



The young have the basal portion of the maxilla and transverse lines on mandible yellowish, 

 and the tip of the bill for about an inch red, remainder black. No casque, but the basal portion 

 of the culmen slightly elevated. 





