Page:Natural History, Birds.djvu/182

Rh the outmost and inmost toes are both united to the central one at the base; the claws are short and blunt.

The Hornbills are birds of large size; few are smaller than a Crow, and some are much larger than a Raven; they are generally clad in sombre plumage, frequently relieved, however, with white in large masses; the beak and naked skin of the face often display bright colours during life. Their distribution is limited to Africa, India, and the great adjacent islands.

The singular structure of these birds, and the paucity of our information concerning their habits in a state of nature, have caused much diversity of opinion as to their true position and affinities. It is now, however, pretty well agreed that their nearest relations are to the Crows on the one hand, and to the Toucans on the other, and that they thus form a very interesting link of connexion between the Passerine or perching and the Scansorial or climbing birds. Professor Owen, by his dissection of a young specimen of Buceros cavatus that died at the Gardens of the Zoological Society, discovered some curious particulars in its anatomy, which tended to indicate the true place of the Family, as just stated.

The technical characters of this genus have already been sufficiently indicated in those of the Family; as the two solitary species which have been separated from all the others, to form distinct genera, differ only in some slight peculiarities in the structure of the feet.