CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
THE HORNBILL.
Karl, although he had never seen one of these birds alive, had yet examined stuffed specimens of them in museums, and he had no difficulty in recognising the bird.

He was able even to identify the species, for there are many species of hornbill, known under the generic 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.