1840.] of the Peninsula of India. 37 



and devours various grains, especially Jowarce (Jndropogon Sorghum), 

 and also rice, and in default of these, various other grains, seeds and 

 even flower buds, and young leaves of trees. It is occasionally caugbt 

 and domesticated on account of its song, which is said to be very sweet. 

 Vieillot says " it is often brought from India alive, and bears the 

 climate well." It is said not to be bred in any part of India. hides 

 brown; bill and legs pale brown. Length 6§ inches; wing3 T £ths; 

 tail 2\ ; tarsus not quite T V ns « 



Family BUCERIDJE.— Horn bills. 



Genus BUCEROS. — Horn bill Toucan of residents in India. 



196. — B. Cavatus, Shaw. — Gould's Cent. Him. Birds. — Garuda of the 

 natives of the forests.— Malah-moraykey, Mai. — Largest Horn bill. 



I have not myself been fortunate enough to procure a specimen of 

 this large Hornbill, but have seen it on several occasions in the thick 

 jungles of Malabar, and in the Coonoor pass of the Neilgherries. I 

 take the following account of it from Mr. Elliot's notes, who met it in 

 the Soonda jungles. 



Descr. — " Back, wings, belly, chin and bar on the tail black ; neck, 

 tail, thigh, wing spot, tips of scapulars and remiges white ; bill ver- 

 milion above, passing into yellow, the lower mandible whitish, at the 

 base black. The male bird has the space between the prominence and 

 the true beak in front also blackish, from which a black stripe runs 

 down the crest of the beak, towards the point, and the posterior ter- 

 mination of the prominence is also dusky in the male, red in the fe- 

 male." Length — male upwards of 4 feet ; female 4 feet ; weight of 

 the latter 6£ lbs ; bill from point to gape in a straight line 10 inches ; 

 from point to end of protuberance 13^ inches ; protuberance 7h inches 

 long; ?>j broad. 



" At the root of the tail of this bird on upper side, immediately above 

 the vent, is a small sac, in which is a bundle or pencil of short bristles, 

 forming a brush, from which exudes a yellow oily secretion, with which 

 the bird appears to dress the white wing spot ; when first shot the 

 yellow colour comes off the bill in considerable quantities, and the 



