ABOUT THE HORNRAY. 
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that those only are made use of which have been bleached in the sun, 
or such as have been roasted by the natives, and by this means 
whitened. In fact, the bower-bird seems to have just the same parti- 
ality for bright and glittering objects which the magpie evinces ; but 
instead of hiding his treasures, displays them to the best advantage. 
THE HORNRAY. 
A curious nest is constructed by the hornray (Dichoeeros bicomis), 
which is, we may add, a curious bird. Let us say a few words respect- 
ing the builder first ; afterwards we may speak of the fabric he rears. 
His plumage is, for the most part, black ; but then the neck, the lower 
part of the wings, and the sub-caudal feathers are white ; so that he 
has not the sombre and funereal appearance of the raven. The plumes 
of the neck and wings have, at times, a yellowish tint, which is due to 
a fatty secretion of the gland. The upper mandible is red, with " a 
suspicion " of yellow ; the lower mandible yellow, with a red point. 
Both mandibles are long and strong. The upper part of the head is 
covered with a thick bony plate, which extends partly over the upper 
mandible, and gives the bird a peculiar and characteristic appearance. 
The range of the hornray includes the hill-forests of India, from 
Cape Comorin to the Himalaya, and from the Malabar coast to the 
peninsula of Malacca. He is found also in Sumatra. He inhabits 
the mountain-side up to a height of 5000 to 5200 feet above the sea ; 
but is more generally found in the dense jungles and shady thickets. 
He is a silent bird, only uttering at intervals a kind of low thin croak ; 
unless he is in the company of his congeners, when he and they seem 
to gain courage from their neighbourliness, and give vent to a series of 
hoarse, piei'cing, and most discordant cries. When wounded, his howl 
is something astonishing. " I can compare it," says Hodgson, " to 
nothing but the braying of an ass." He seems to live exclusively upon 
fruits, which he picks from the trees ; having gathered one, he flings it 
into the air, catches it as it falls, and swallows it. 
When the female has laid five or six eggs, her mate proceeds to 
close up the entrance with clay, leaving only a small opening, through 
which the mother-bird may thrust her bill. Throughout the period of 
