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CHAPTER XVII. 
BURROWING BIRDS— [continued) 
Nesting of the Hornbills — Dr. Livingstone’s account of the Korwe, or Red- 
breasted Hornbill — The Long-tailed Titmouse — Its general habits— 
Its use to the gardener — Number of the young — Form and materials of the 
nest — Localities chosen by the bird — How to prepare the fragile eggs — The 
Magpie — Its domed and fortified nest — The common Wren and its nest — 
The Lyre Bird — Origin of its name — Its domed nest — The Albert’s 
Lyre Bird and its habits — The Bower Bird — Why so called — Civilisation 
and social amusement— The remarkable bower — Its materials and mode of 
construction — Use to which it is put — The Bower Birds in the Zoological 
Gardens, and their habits — Love of ornament — Meaning of the scientific 
name. 
Two groups of large-billed birds are remarkable for their habit 
of nesting in hollow trees, and plastering up the entrance during 
the time of incubation. These are the Toucans of America 
and the Hornbills of Africa. We will take the latter birds as 
samples. The following interesting account of the Hornbill 
and its nest is quoted from Dr. Livingstone’s well-known work. 
4 We passed through large tracts of Mopane country, and my 
men caught a great many of the birds called Korwe ( Tockus 
erythrorhynchns ) in their hiding-places, which were in holes in 
the mopane-tree. On the 19th (February) we passed the nest 
of a Korwe, just ready for the female to enter; the orifice was 
plastered on both sides, but a space was left of a heart shape, 
and exactly the size of Ihe bird’s body. The hole in the tree 
was in every case found to be prolonged some distance upwards 
above the opening, and thither the Korwe always fled to escape 
being caught. In another nest we found that one white egg, 
much like that of the pigeon, was laid, and the bird dropped 
another when captured. She had four besides in the ovarium. 
4 The first time that I saw this bird was at Kolobeng, where 
o 
