on the sides of the head and face with clearer grey; rest of under surface
of body white, including the under wing- and tail-coverts; the
inner lining of the quill3 black. Total length, 23 inches ; wing, 9'0;
tail, 9-5; tarsus, T95.
Mr. Andersson gives the accompanying note on the soft parts
“ The irides are nut-brown; the legs and toes brown horn-colour;
the bill which is much longer, broader, and stronger in the male than
in the female bird, is yellowish red, darkest towards the extremities
of the mandibles, which are dark purple, that tint being also sometimes
apparent on other parts of the bill as well.”
Fig. Hartlaub, P. Z. S. 1865, pi. 5.
121. T o c k u s f l a v i r o s t r i s . Yellow-billed Hombill.
Although specimens of this bird from South Africa were separated
by Dr. Hartlaub under the title of T. elegans, we have been unable
to find any difference between them and other examples from
North Eastern Africa, and we believe that Dr Hartlaub now concurs
in their specific identity. The Yellow-billed Hornbill, though not
included in the first edition, occurs in Natal, as Captain Shelley,
during his late visit to that colony, met with some very large
flocks to the east of the Umgeni, but did not see it elsewhere.
Mr. T. E. Buckley states that Hornbills were very common from the
North of the Transvaal through the Bamangwato country, and a pair of
the present species were collected by him in the Transvaal on the
7th July, 1873. Mr. Ayres also says that it is tolerably plentiful
throughout the bush country of the Transvaal, being mostly found
in small flocks. He states that it feeds principally on fruits. Mr.
Andersson writes:—“ This species is the most common of the Hornbills
in the middle and southern parts of Damara Land. It is found
singly, or in pairs, and being a comparatively fearless bird, is easily
killed, especially during the heat of the day, when it invariably perches
on or near the top of a lofty tree (where such are to be found,) and
will remain for hours in this situation, keeping up, with short intermissions,
a kind of subdued chattering note of Toe Toe Toe Tocke
Tocke Tocke Toe, in a tone not unlike the quick yelping of young
puppies, and accompanied at intervals by a flapping and raising of its
wings and an alternate lowering and erecting of its head.” Anchieta
has procured it at Capangombe, and Mr. Monteiro met with it in
Benguela.
Adult.—Head grey, with a very broad white band extending over
the eye from the lores and joining on the neck; sides of face, throat
and entire under parts white; the ear-coverts slightly streaked with
black, more distinctly on the fore-neck and chest, some of the
feathers narrowly margined with greyish-black; upper surface of the
body blackish, the centre of the back white; all the wing-coverts
spotted with white near the tip ; quills black, glossed with green
near the base of the primaries, which have each a white spot about
the centre of their outer web, the outermost secondaries entirely
white, marked with black near the base, the inner secondaries brown
externally edged with white; four centre tail-feathers black, the rest
black at base, white at tip, the white increasing in extent towards
the outermost tail feather, where it occupies nearly two-thirds of its
extent; “ Iris tawny-yellow, bare skin round the eye dark pink; bill
bright yellow with brown margins” (Ayres); iris yellowish-white.
(Buckley.) Mr. Andersson observes :—“ The irides are yellow ;
the legs and toes are very dark brown; the colour of the bill approaches
orange-yellow, with the exception of the edges, upper ridge
and the tips of the mandibles, which are reddish-brown; in the young
bird the bill is sometimes very dark coloured.”
Total length about 16 5 inches; wing, 7'8 ; tail, 8'0 ; tarsus, 1‘5.
Fig. Hartlaub’, P. Z. S. 1865, pi. 4.
122. T o c k u s e r y t h r o r y n c h u s . Bed-billed Hornbill.
Buceros erythrorhynchus, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 227.
Sundevall gives this species as an inhabitant of Kaffraria, but we
have not seen it ourselves from that locality, It was procured by
Yictorin at the Knysna in April. Mr. Buckley shot a female in the
Matabili country on the 5th September, 1873, and Mr. Ayres has
found it to be numerous about the Biver Limpopo. Dr. Kirk gives
a note on the species in the Zambesi, where it is called by the
natives “ Koppi:”—“ In all open woodlands common, feeding on
fruits and insects; breeding in the hollows of trees during the season,
the female being closed in during the time of incubation, when she
moults her feathers, and is unable to fly.”
Mr. Andersson writes as follows :—* Common in Ondonga, at the
Okavango Biver, and for some distance to the south of that stream;
and I have obtained specimens from Lake NJgarni. I have also met
with it in Damara Land proper, at Objimbinque and Schmelens Hope.”
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