306 Mr. W. C. Tait on the Birds of Portugal. 



this species on the banks of the Guadiana and in the Algarve, 

 in April. 



122. Merops apiasteRj Liun. " Melharuco/'' " Abel- 

 haruco/' " Abelhuco," Alto Douro ; " Gralha/' Caldas 

 d'Aregos ; " Melheiros/^ Abrantes and Santarem. 



The Bee-eater is seldom seen so near the sea as Oporto, 

 but on Sept. 10th, 1878, I shot one at the mouth of the 

 Douro on passage, and another was shot a short distance off 

 on the same occasion. It is abundant about Caldas d'Aregos 

 and in the wine district of the Alto Douro, and still more so 

 in the south of Portugal. At Abrantes they can be heard 

 any day chattering at a considerable height, flying in flocks 

 with a strong elegant flight. Arrives at the beginning of 

 April and leaves in August and beginning of September. As 

 they make so much havoc among the bees, the country people 

 wage war on them whenever they can. 



123. Upupa epops, Linn. ^' Poupa,'^ " Poupa-pao," La- 

 mego ; " Bubella,^' Galicia. 



The Hoopoe is a summer visitant and one of the first of 

 the insectivorous birds to arrive in Portugal. The Lamego 

 people say that it is the herald of the Cuckoo, and that when 

 its note is much heard it is a sign of a good harvest ; but I 

 have seen the Hoopoe much earlier than the Cuckoo — near 

 Oporto as early as the beginning of March, and in the Algarve 

 on the 18th of February. The departure takes place in 

 September. Hoopoes swarm in some parts of the Minho, 

 and their soft musical note lends an extra charm to the 

 green woods. They do not seem to be so abundant in the 

 Algarve. 



124. CucuLus cANORUs, Liuu. " Cuco.^^ 



About Oporto the arrival of the Cuckoo is said to be ex- 

 pected after St. Joseph's day (March 19th), and I have 

 generally heard it in the first week in April. Dr. Carvalho 

 informs me that the Cuckoo arrives at Coimbra from the 11th 

 of March (1875) to the 12th of April (1877). My observa- 

 tions do not enable me to fix the date of departure. I shot 

 a young bird of the year on September 3rd, 1878, at the 



