THE HOOPOE 47 



with his bravery and intelligence that he took from 

 off his own head the royal crown and placed it on 

 the Hoopoe's, saying, truly thou art a very king 

 amongst birds, and shall for ever be crowned. To 

 show the truth of this story, it is only necessary to 

 come to Egypt, when the most sceptical will be at 

 once converted, as he will see that every single 

 Hoopoe to this day is indeed right royally crowned 

 as no other bird is.^ 



The Cairo Zoological Gardens report it as "a 

 fairly numerous visitor in spring and autumn" to 

 the gardens, and of course most know that it is a 



^ A variation of this story is given by the Hon. Robert Curzon, in his 

 Vimfs to Monasteries in the Levant. There the Hoopoe was told by the king 

 to go home and consult his spouse, as to what should be the royal gift, 

 and she, like a true feminine, on being questioned, said, " Let us ask for 

 crowns of gold on our heads, that we may be superior to all other birds." 

 The request was granted, but the king forewarned them that they would 

 see the folly of their request ; and all Hoopoes of both sexes strutted 

 about with solid gold crowns, and " the queen of the Hoopoes gave her- 

 self airs, and sat upon a twig, and refused to speak to the Merops, her 

 cousin " (bee-eater), but a certain fowler, who set traps and nets for birds, 

 put a broken mirror into his traps. The queen of course went to look into 

 it to the better see herself and her golden crown, and got caught. The 

 value of these solid gold crowns soon led to every man's hand being 

 against the vain Hoopoes. " Not a Hoopoe could show its head, but it 

 was slain or taken captive, and the days of the Hoopoes were numbered ; 

 then their minds were filled with sorrow and dismay." The king of the 

 Hoopoes went back to the monarch and related their piteous plight, and 

 Solomon said, " Behold, did I not warn thee of thy folly, in desiring to 

 have crowns of gold ? Vanity and pride have been thy ruin. But now, 

 that a memorial may remain of the service which thou didst render unto 

 rae, your crowns of gold shall be changed into crowns of feathers, that 

 ye may walk unharmed upon the earth." 



