The present specics, the A. malaharicus, and the A. convexus have beea confused one with
another by different writers to an extraordinary degree. The A. convexus and the A. coronatus
arc, indeed, closcly allied ; hut there ia a considerable difierenee in their size, as well as in the
marking and shape of their casques, while their geograpical distribution is not at all the same,
The bird now under consideration was first described by Boddaert {I. o.) in 1783, from BufFon's
plate in the • P l a n c h e s Enluminées ' of the Calao des FMUppinea. Scopoli foUowed shortly afterwards
(1786)withhis JBweeros^tca, founded upon Sonnerat's plate of the Oalao delacote Malabar.
This figure, having the lateral reetrices entirely pur e white, is evidently the same as Boddaert's
13. coronatus. Latham noticed that this was a different species f rom the B. malaharicus of Gmelin,
but contented himself by merely marking it var. |3 and 7. Shaw (1811) conferred two more names
upon the luckless bird, viz. B. monooeros and B. violaceus, both of which have been about equally
followed by succeeding writers. Many authors have also employed G-melin's term oîmalaMrious,
given to a very different, although allied species, one that never lias the lateral rectrices entirely
white.
The range of this species is confined to the peninsula of India and Ceylon. In the hitter
country, Layard observed it at Tangalla, and near St. Pedro, generally in large flocks ; and Mr.
I Foldsworth also mot with it a few miles from Aiipo ; and in the forest on the road between
Kandy and Trincomalie, he frequently saw small parties of this Ilornbill. Jerdon says that five
or six usually compose the llocks seen in the Indian peninsula, and they generally keep in the
thick forest, and near water.
The food of these birds is fruit—especially that of the Kuchla {Strychnos nux vomica), and
berries, which they swallow whole. They arc also fond of the fruit of the banian and other figs.
I n the jungles of Borabhum, Tiekell says, they were very common, frequenting the Pipul trees, the
f r a i t of which formed their principal food. The allied species, A. malaharicus, is stated by Mr.
Inglis (' Stray Feathers,' vol. v. p. 20) to be very fond of live fish, which it catches in shallow
j)ools. The way ho discovered this predilection for an abnormal diet was as follows. He possessed
a tame Otter and three tame Ilornbills. At feeding-time the Otter was placed in a tub containing
live fish ; and these, when closcly pressed, would jump out to escape from their pursuer, and
were immediately swallowed by the Ilornbills. Mr. Inglis has also found bones of fish in the
stomachs of those birds which he had shot ; and the Nagas affirm that , when these Hornbills are
intent on fishing, they can be approachcd sufficiently close to be killed with a stick. I have not
seen it anywhere recorded that the present species is a fish-eater ; but it is not unlikely that it
would accept this kind of food as readily as the A. malabarieiis. The eggs are deposited in holes of
trees, the female being, as usual, fastened in by her mate. The young keep with their parents
many months after leaving the nest. The voice of this species is loud and harsh ; and it is a very
noisy bird, at the same time shy and wary. According to Tiekell, it is never met with in high
rocky lands, nor in barren tracks of saiil-junglc, but abounds in the rich meadows composing the
valley of the Soubourika. Occasionally, says Jerdon, in forest country, they eome out in open
spaces in the jungl e to large fruit-bearing trees ; and Layard states they appear to be much on the
ground seeking food. The casque on the bill is not developed until after tfie first year.
In Chola Nugpm- this spcoios. according to JfaH. »ffccts ccrWn localities, where it may
o-mcnilly Ijo toand in flocks of from six to ten indiïiilnals. He shot it in Manblmm, Smglililmm.
L d Sirgnja, and also in the jungl e on the road from the llanchi platean to I'nrula. , H e also shot
a t LoWoi, near Lanigarh, in the south of the Division, a specimen of the allied species, A. mala-
U,wm. whicli formed one of a small party in a grOTC of mango trees ; and in the same country he
met with the present species, the limits of the two evidently overlapping. Ito states that the ms
is oran"e-maroon, while Jerdon says it is crimson in the adult, hrown in the young hml.
Some authors have employed for this hird and its allies tlic generic term Ihjdmcum, proposed
t y Bonapai-te in his • Conspectus Avium ' for various speeics not nearly related hoyond the fact
that they belong to the same I'amily, among which the present one is included. I have not
adopted this term, for the following reasons. Koichenbaoh proposed, in 1819 (of which date I
hclieye there is no doubt), in his • Syst. Nat. Av.,' the terms AiUhraeacena (citing alone the li.
mtMiarxm, Gmeh, as its typo) and Amn-hmm (with the B. galerUm, Tenim., as its type), and
gave drawings of those charaeters in cach considered by him generic. Although the portion
of Bonaparte's • Conspectus Avium " containing the Iloniljills is dated 181.9, I am unable to ascertain
whether it appeared in that year separately, or with the rest of tlte Ih-st volume, which has its
preface dated April 18S0. In any event, on the score of priority, Bonaparte has no advantage over
Reiehenbaeh, and should on no account take preeedcnce, as he does not give any characters whatever
for his genus. JIlld,-od,m, Bon., is made to include such an incongruous asscmhlage of species
as the IS. eomtiam, Bodd. (called „mnocens, Shaw), B. galeritm, Temm., B. malagimm, Ilafll., and
B. exarhatm, Temm. The other two (called B. pica, Scopoli, and B. violaaat, Shaw) are synonyms
of B. eormudm, Bodd. The gemis Aitthracoccro,, Eeich., with the B. „udaharuiat:, GmcL, as its
tj-pe, would naturally contain also the B. coromtm, Bodd., and the B. malwjanm, Kalll. ; while the
B. ¡ialerUu.% Temm., represents the genus AnorrUmu, Keich. There is thus left, of Bonaparte's
species, only tlie B. exfirhaCus, Temm., for his genus Jii/droeissa.
Male.—m\ curved, yellowish-white, base black, erfending forward on the mandible. A large
laterally compressed casque rises from base of maxilla, extends backwards over the head, and then
curves forward for two thirds the length of maxilla, and returns by an aeiitc angle to the culmen.
A largo patch of black covers the anterior three fourths of the casque, tut never rmcMs the mtailki.
I n some specimens this patch is only a broad irregular black band. The posterior terminus is also
black. Head covered by a loose, rather long crest, and, together with the neck, breast, and wing.s,
is black. Undeiiiarts and tips of primaries and secondaries white. Tail pure white, with the exception
of the central pair, which are black. Naked skin on throat pale Ilesh-colour ; iris crimson,
brown in the young ; feet dark grey.
Total length 3 feet, wing 13 inches, tail 11, bill along gape 7, easciuc G, height of bill and
casque '1.
Pemalc same as male, but smaller. No black on posterior terminus of casque.
Specimens described and figured are in my own collection, and in the Paris Museum. The
individual represented with the very large and black caisque may be regarded as perhaps rather
exceptional, as the majority of specimens have casques more like that of the second figure in th<r
plate. The black-casquc example is in the J'aris Museum.