The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-11-04
The Toucans.

Two groups of large-billed birds are re-
markable for their habit of nesting in hollow
tress, and plastering up the entrance during
the time of incubation. These are the
Toucans of America and the Hornbills of
Africa. We will take the latter birds as
samples. The following interesting account
of the Hornbill and its nest is quoted from
DIR. Livingstone's well-known work.
awe passed through large tracts of Mo-
pane county, and my men caught great
many of the birds called Korwe in their
hiding places, which were in holes in the
mopane tree. On the 10Th (February)
we passed the nest of Korwe, just ready
for the female to enter; the orifce was plas-
tered on both sides, but space was left of
heart shape, and exactly the size of the
birds body. The hole in the tree was in
every case found to be prolonged some dis
tance upwards above the opening and thith-
er the Korwe always fed to escape being
caught. In another nest we found that
one white egg, much like that of the pigeon,
was laid, and the bird dropped another
when captured. She had four besides in
the ovarium.
''The first time that saw this bird was
at Kolobeng, where had gone to the for
est for some timber. Standing by tree,
native looked behind me, and exclaimed,
"There is the nest of Korwe." l saw
slit, only about half an inch wide and three
or four inches long, in slight hollow of
tree Thinking the word ''Korwe" denot-
ed some small animal, waited with inter
est to see what he would extract he broke
the clay which surrounded the slit, put his
arm into the hole, and brought out Tockus,
or rep-breasted Hornbill, which he killed
"He informed me that when the female
enters her nest, she submits to real con-
fnement. The male plasters up the en-
trance, leaving only narrow slit by which
to feed his mate, and which exactly suits
the form of his beak. The female makes
nest of her own feathers, lays her eggs,
matches them, and remains with the young
till they are fully fedged During all this
time, which is stated to be two or three
months, the male continues to feed her and
the young family. The prisoner generally
becomes fat, and is esteemed very dainty
morsel by the natives, while the poor slave
of husband gets so lean that, on the sud
den lowering of the temperature, which
sometimes happens after fall of rain, he
is benumbed, falls down, and dies. 1 never
had an opportunity of ascertaining the ex-
act length of the confinement but on pass
ing the same tree at Kolobeng about eight
days afterwards, the hole was plastered up
again, as if in the short time that had
elapsed the disconsolate husband had secur-
ed another wife. We did not disturb her,
and my duties prevented me from return
ing to the spot.
"This (February) is the month in which
the female enters the nest. We had seen
one of these, as before mentioned, with the
plastering not quite finished we saw many
completed, and we received here the very
same account that we did at Kolobeng,
that the bird comes forth when the young
are fully Aedged, at the period when the
corn is ripe indeed, her appearance abroad
with her young is one of the signs they
have for knowing when it ought to be SO.
As that is about the end of April, the time
is between two and three months. She is
said sometimes to hatch two eggs, and when
the young of these are full fedged, other
two are just out of the eggshells; she leaves
the nest with the two elder, the orifce is
again plastered up, and both male and fe-
male attend to the wants of the young
which are left"