Page:Natural History, Birds.djvu/184

Rh nature these birds, in this part of India (Malacca), live on wild fruits. In confinement they feed freely on plantains and on boiled rice. At night they perch with great security, though the largeness of the foot seems better suited to rest on the ground." Other writers state that these birds feed also upon small quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles, pressing them flat in their beak, then tossing them in the air, catching them in the throat, and swallowing them whole. In this latter habit, no less than in the omnivorous character of their appetite, the Hornbills present a remarkable resemblance to the Toucans.

Mr. G. R. Gray, in his beautiful work on "The Genera of Birds," thus sums up the habits of this singular genus:—" They are usually observed singly, or in small or large parties, in the dense forests or jungles, perched or squatted longitudinally on the highest branches, especially those of elevated and decayed trees in the neighbourhood of rivers. On the approach of day-light they leave their roosting-places, and proceed to the neighbouring forests in search of fruit-bearing trees, hopping from branch to branch for the fruits which constitute their food; and when evening returns they again repair to the place that they had left at day-light. When they have cleared one neighbourhood of its food, they resort to a fresh locality; which occasions them to be observed at different periods in various places.... Their flight is heavy and straight, generally at a considerable height; and they make a remarkable noise in striking the air with their wings. The cry consists of a short hoarse croak, but when the bird is excited this is changed to a