988 Mr. Blyth's Report for December Meeting, 1842. [No. 143. 



the Homrai, but has the lateral edges of the casque prolonged in front 

 to an extent which I have never seen an approach to on the part of the 

 Indian species, wherein they are usually, if not always, truncated, 

 though it is posssible that they might so grow out in captive indivi- 

 duals. Mons. Drapiez, in the Diet. Class. d'Hist. Nat. (Art. CalaoJ, 

 suggests that B. cavatus, Cuv. and Lev., may perhaps be no other 

 than B. cristatus, Vieillot, figured in the supplementary plates to 

 that work, No. XXIII ; but this is quite out of the question, and 

 I shall revert to the consideration of the latter species presently. 



M. Drapiez, however, describes B. bicornis, Lev., PI. VII and VIII, 

 as a distinct species, differing altogether from cristatus and decidedly 

 from the Homrai, stating, that the under-parts and lateral caudal 

 feathers are white, and omitting all mention of any white, or rather 

 fulvous- white, on the hind-head and neck. Inhabits the Philippines and 

 China. Shaw, also, describes the B. bicornis, Lev., PI. VII, and VIII, 

 to have the upper part of the breast, belly, thighs, and vent-feathers, 

 white; but the tail to be crossed in the middle, except on the two 

 middle feathers, with a white bar : and he asserts it to be a native of 

 India and the Indian isles; though most assuredly there is no species 

 exhibiting such a coloration in India proper. His B. cavatus, Lev., 

 Ill, IV, V, and VI, is stated to have the face and chin black, and the 

 neck pale ochre-coloured, — so far as in the Homrai ; but the whole 

 remainder of the plumage black (very doubtful, certainly as regards 

 the tail), and he adds a description which obviously refers to the young 

 of some other species, as applicable to the immature state of this one. 

 He also considers B. hydrocorax to be the young cavatus, in which 

 opinion, however, he is not followed by Stephens. 



Lastly, Shaw gives, as a variety of his B. bicornis, the species 

 described by Cameli in the Philosophical Transactions, Vol. XXIII, 

 (1702-3), p. 1394; but there is a widely different species (from the 

 Homrai at least) in the Society's museum, which satisfactorily accords 

 with the description by Cameli, and is clearly identical with Vieillot's 

 cristatus as figured in the supplementary volume of plates to the 

 Diet. Class.; apparently differing only from that figure in having the 

 thighs ferruginous, and the primaries, together with their coverts and 

 the winglet, fulvous-vvhite, — at least on one side, the other having 

 only the three first primaries, and some of their coverts, of that colour, 



