It would appear that this bird is part of a large tribe, the greatest variety in which lies in his beak and horn. The horn he wears sometimes upon the beak, and sometimes upon the forehead above the root of the beak. These are the only parts that appear in collections. I gave to the cabinet of the king of France the first bird of this kind seen entire, and I have here exhibited the first figure and description of it that ever was seen in natural history, drawn from the life. In the east part of Abyssinia it is called Abba Gumba, in the language of TigrÉ; on the western side of the TacazzÈ it is called Erkoom; the first of its names is apparently from the groaning noise it makes, the second has no signification in any language that I know.

At Ras el Feel, in my return through Sennaar, I made this drawing from a very entire bird, but slightly wounded; it was in that country called Teir el Naciba, the bird of destiny. This bird, or the kind of it, is by naturalists called the Indian crow, or raven; for what reason it is thus classed is more than I can tell. The reader will see, when I describe his particular parts, whether they agree with those of the raven or not. There is one characteristic of the raven which he certainly has, he walks, and does not hop or jump in the manner that many others of that kind do; but then he, at times, runs with very great velocity, and, in running, very much resembles the turkey, or bustard, when his head is turned from you.

The colour of the eye of this bird is of a dark brown, or rather reddish cast; but darker still as it approaches the pupil; he has very large eye-lashes, both upper and lower, but especially his upper. From the point of the beak to the extremity of the tail is 3 feet 10 inches; the breadth from one point of the wing to the other extended, is 6 feet, and the length 22 inches. The length of the neck 10 inches, and its thickness 3 inches and a half; the length of the beak measuring the opening near the head straight to the point, 10 inches; and from the point of the beak to the root of the horn 7 inches and 3/8ths. The whole length of the horn is 3 inches and a half. The length of the horn from the foot to the extremity where it joins the beak, is 4 inches. The thickness of the beak in front of the opening is one inch and 7/8ths. The thickness of the horn in front is one inch and 5/8ths. The horn in height, taken from the upper part of the point to the beak, 2 inches. The length of the thighs 7 inches, and that of the legs 6 inches and 5/8ths. The thickness in profile 7 lines, and in front 4 lines and a half. It has three toes before and one behind, but they are not very strong, nor seemingly made to tear up carcases. The length of the foot to the hinder toe is one inch 6 lines, the innermost is one inch 7 lines, the middle 2 inches 2 lines, and the last outer one 2 inches one line.

This bird is all of a black, or rather black mixed with soot-colour; the large feathers of the wing are ten in number, milk-white both without and within. The tip of his wings reaches very nearly to his tail; his beak and head measured together are 11 inches and a half, and his head 3 inches and a quarter. At his neck he has those protuberances like the Turkey-cock, which are light-blue, but turn red upon his being chased, or in the time the hen is laying.

I have seen the Erkoom with eighteen young ones; it runs upon the ground much more willingly than it flies, but when it is raised, flies both strong and far. It has a rank smell, and is said to live in Abyssinia upon dead carcases. I never saw it approach any of these; and what convinces me this is untrue, is, that I never saw one of them follow the army, where there was always a general assembly of all the birds of prey in Abyssinia.

It was very easy to see what was its food, by its place of rendezvous, which was in the fields of teff, upon the tops of which are always a number of green beetles, these he strips off by drawing the stalk through his beak, and which operation wears his beak so that it appears to be serrated, and, often as I had occasion to open this bird, I never found in him any thing but the green scarabeus, or beetle. He has a putrid or stinking smell, which I suppose is the reason he has been imagined to feed upon carrion.

The Erkoom builds in large, thick trees, always, if he can, near churches; has a covered nest like that of a magpie, but four times as large as the eagle’s. It places its nest firm upon the trunk, without endeavouring to make it high from the ground; the entry is always on the east side. It would seem that the Indian crow of Bontius is of this kind: it is difficult, however, of belief, that his natural food is nutmegs; for there seems nothing in his structure or inclination, which is walking on the ground, that is necessary or convenient for taking such food.