The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-03-02
THE HORNBILL AND TOUCAN.

The chief of the singular birds at the
'tH.oo' is kept in secluded cage and can
be seen only through the good offices of
his keeper and fee. His Latin name,
particularly if it described half his ac-
complishments, would be so long that
We pass it by and choose the more pro-
sale title of hornbill. 1t is bird with a
body much like that of the eagle, black
and white in color. Its head is fitted
with an enormous bill as large as the
human hand, sharp-pointed and crowned
with horny plate as large as butter
dish. Mr.. Hornbill's keeper takes his
stand ten feet away and tosses grapes at
the bird SO rapidly that the human eye
can hardly follow them through the air.
But the eye of the hornbill is quicker,
and he catches them every one in his
bill, now depressing it, now raising it in
the air, and again turning it sideways
according to the angle at which the grape
is delivered to him; and when half a
dozen grapes are shot at him in success
sion as rapidly as the keeper can do it,
the bird usually misses but one. If a
grape were only base ball, the hornbill
could give points to the best of our pro-
fessional first basemen. The hornbill
and toucan (Which also has huge bill.
sometimes ten inches long) have funny
way of feeding from the ground. They
pick up the food in the extremities of
their bills; then with toss of the head,
open the mouth, and the food describes
the arc of a circle falling into the gullet
with absolute certainty.
Some years ago under the hornbill's
perch was found what looked like fig
enclosing a mass of slightly digested
grapes and other food. 1t was supposed
for time that the bird had disgorged its
own stomach. The fg-like mass was
passed over to the dissecter of the 70
illogical Society, and Mr.. Hornbill was
watched carefully for sny i'll Effects
Presently the bird, which meantime had
kept as well as usual, threw up its
stomach" again. and ere long the dis
secter reported that what seemed stem
ach was only an inner lining formed by a
thick secretion, the disgorging of which
was a natural function of the bird. Soon
after it was found that other birds in the
"Zoo" had the same curious habit. 1t
seems that the hornbill, of which there
are some six species living in Africa,
Hindostan and Burmah, have singular
way of nesting, of which the habit above
described is an incident. The male
takes the female to hollow tree. There
the mother bird builds nest of her own
feathers and lays her eggs. Then the
male builds up the hole with clay, and
keeps his mate close prisoner until the
eggs are hatched. In the clay is left a
small hole through which the female
protrudes her bill, and the male bird
keeps her well provided with dainties,
gathering them IN his. stomach and then
disgorging them..in the pouch mentioned
above If the female breaks down the
clayey barrier the male instantly kills
her. During the period of incubation
the labors of the male make him so weak
and sickly that he often yields to any
sudden change of weather and dies. But
the female wakes fat as Thanksgiving
turkey on her lords devotion, and the
natives often seek her out when on her
nest and kill her as a great delicacy.