

=^22 



TOCKUS CAMURUS 



CASSIN'S PYGMY HOKNBILL, 



Tockus camurus, Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. (1856) p. 319, (1859) p. 140. sp. 164; Heine, Journ. fiir Ornith. 



(1860) p. 188. sp. 146; Reich. Journ. fiir Ornith. (1875) p. 13. 

 Buceros pulchrirostris, Schlegel, Soc. Nat. Art. Mag. Amster.; id. Ned. Tijds. voor d. Dierk. vol. i. (1862) p. 74, 



pi. 4, Ois. ; id. Mus. Pays-Bas, (1862) p. 15 ; G. E. Gray, Hand-1. Birds, pt. ii. (1870) p. 130. sp. 7903. 

 Tockus pulchrirostris, Sharpe, Ibis, (1870) p. 485. sp. 181; id. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1871) p. 604. sp. 8; Reich. Journ. 



fur Ornith. (1875) p. 13. 

 Buceros camurus, G. R. Gray, Hand-1. Birds, pt. ii. (1870) p. 130. sp. 7905 ; Giebel, Thesaur. Ornith. vol. i. (1872) 



p. 497. 



Hab. Gold Coast (Schlegel) ; Cape Lopez (Du Chaillu). 



Mr. Cassin first described this species in the 'Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences' 

 in 1856 ; and it was subsequently renamed pulchrirostris by Schlegel in the ' Nederlandsch Tijd- 

 schrift ' for 1862. Mr. Cassin's type was obtained by Du Chaillu near Cape Lopez, in Western 

 Africa, and sent with other rare and new birds to Philadelphia. Mr. Cassin remarks of this 

 species that it " is the smallest bird of the genera JBuceros and Toclcus that I have ever seen, and 

 appears to be the smallest known species. It resembles in some measure T. melanoleucus, 

 but is much smaller. Three specimens are in the collection, essentially alike." 



Bill bright red ; maxilla greatly compressed laterally ; culmen elevated into a low crest. 

 Head, breast, and back rufous brown. Wings dark brown, lesser and greater coverts tipped with 

 white, forming two rows. Primaries brownish black, with an oval buff spot about the centre on 

 both webs ; secondaries blackish brown, broadly margined with deep buff. Tail dark olive-brown, 

 shafts and edges of webs and tips rufous brown. Underparts white. Feet dark brown. 



Total length 12£ inches, wing 6, tail 6f , bill 2J. 



Specimen figured is in the British-Museum collection. 



