Karl, although he had never seen one of these birds alive, had yet
examined stuffed specimens of them in museums, and he had no difficulty
in recognising the bird. He was able even to identify the species, for
there are many species of hornbill, known under the generic name,
_Bucerus_. That before their eyes was the _Bucerus rhinoceros_, or
"rhinoceros hornbill," called also the "topau," and sometimes the
"horned Indian raven," from a sort of resemblance which it bears both in
shape and habits to the well-known bird of this name.
Ossaroo had not exaggerated the size of these birds when he compared it
to that of a goose. On the contrary, he had rather moderated the
dimensions: for the one in question looked much larger than either goose
or gander. It was rather more than three feet in length--reckoning from
the tip of its tail to the point of its curving beak, which of itself
was nearly a foot long! Its colour was black above, and yellowish-white
underneath, the tail feathers being a clear white, with a broad black
band crossing them near the middle. Its bill, like that of its mate
already observed, was of a yellowish-white, the upper mandible being
reddish around the base, while the casque-like protuberance exhibited a
mottled surface of white and black.
Ossaroo had to tell them pretty nearly all he knew in relation to this
curious bird; for although there are several species of hornbills
natives of India, it is by no means a common creature, even at home in
its own country.
Karl could have told them much more about its species and habits, and no
doubt he would have done so had they been otherwise engaged. But
situated as they were, with an angry elephant besieging them in the
tree, and now for a while interested in observing the movements of the
bird itself, Karl was in no humour to deliver an ornithological lecture.
He might have told them that ornithologists have differed much about
the classification of the hornbill--some of them placing it among the
toucans, while others assert that it belongs to the crow family. Its
immense beak--out of all proportion to its body--is not the only point
of resemblance it bears to the toucans. Like them, it flings its food
into the air, catching and swallowing it as it comes down. Unlike the
toucans, however, it cannot climb trees, and is therefore not of the
Scansorial order. It is said to be omnivorous in its food; and in this
it resembles the crows and ravens: but, indeed, as already stated, there
are many species of hornbills, and the habits of the different kinds, by
no means uniform or alike, have been confounded by most writers. There
are species in Africa, others in India and the Indian islands, and New
Guinea is known to have one or two distinct species of its own. All
these differ not only in size, colour, shape of their beak, and the
protuberance that surmounts it; but also in the kind of food which they
live upon. For instance, the African hornbills, and one or more of the
Asiatic species, are carnivorous, and some even carrion-eaters. These
are filthy birds, their flesh and feathers smelling rank as those of
vultures. On the other hand, there is a species in the Indian islands--
the Moluccas more particularly--whose sole food is the nutmeg, which
gives to its flesh an exquisite aromatic flavour, causing it to be much
relished at the tables of Oriental epicures. The bill of this species
after a certain time appears with a number of grooves or furrows in it.
As these furrows are observed only on the beaks of the old birds, the
Dutch colonists established in the Moluccas believe them to indicate
their age, each wrinkle standing for a year. Hence the hornbill has
obtained among the colonists the name of _Yerrvogel_ (year bird).
Karl, as I have said, was acquainted with all these facts in the natural
history of the hornbill; but just then he did not think of making them
known to his companions--all three being too much occupied in watching
the movements of the male bird. It was evident that he was not one of
the vegetable feeders: for on his alighting they could see hanging from
his beak a long cylindrical object, which they were able to identify as
a portion--the head and part of the body--of a dead snake. It was
equally evident that his mate was not accustomed to a vegetable diet:
for from the way in which he was manoeuvring, the spectators saw that
the mutilated reptile was intended for her. No doubt it was her dinner,
for it had now got to that hour of the day.
She was not to be kept waiting any longer. Almost on the instant her
provider alighted on the projecting spur, with a toss of his head he
jerked the piece of snake up into the air, and then caught it as it came
down again--not with the intention to swallow it, but only to get a
better grip, in order that he might deliver it the more adroitly into
the mandibles of his mate--now protruding through the aperture, and
opened to receive it.
In another instant the savoury morsel was transferred from the beak of
the male to that of the female; and then the ivory forceps of the
latter, with the snake held tightly between them, disappeared within the
cavity.
The old cock stayed not a moment longer upon the tree. He had served
his mate with her dinner, and perhaps he had yet to bring on the
dessert. Whether or not, he rose immediately afterwards into the air,
with the same clangorous clapping of his wings; but this time the noise
was accompanied by the clattering of his horny mandibles, like a pair of
castanets, causing a sound not only singular, but, if heard by
strangers, calculated to beget within them a considerable feeling of
alarm.