ric 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