4o6 HANG-BIRD—HARELD 



Madagascar. Though not larger than a Kaven, it builds an 

 enormous nest, occasionally some six feet in diameter, and placed 

 either in a tree or on a rocky ledge. ^ The structure is a mass of 

 sticks, roots, grass and rushes, compactly piled together, with a 

 flat-topped roof, the interior being neatly lined with clay, and a hole 

 for entrance and exit. The bird, of an almost uniform earthy-brown 

 colour (umber), whence the French Ombrette, slightly glossed with 

 purple, and its tail barred with black, has a long occipital crest, 

 generally borne horizontally, so as to give rise to its expressive 

 colonial name, for the likeness of its head to that of a hammer is 

 obvious. It is somewhat sluggish by day, but displays much 

 activity at dusk, when it will go through a series of strange per- 

 i/-v-«'^ fes^ formances.^ Scopus has hitherto 



been generally referred to the 

 group Pelargi (Stork), but recent 

 investigations point out that its 

 affinity is rather to the Herodiones 



Bill OF SCOPUS. (After Swainson.) (HeRON), thoUgh it Can hardly 



enter into the Family Ardeidx, 

 and its flight is described as not being Heron-like {Ihis, 1863, p. 170). 

 The late Prof. Reinhardt {op. cit. 1862, pp. 158-175) thought that 

 Balseniceps (Shoe-bill) was its nearest ally. 



HANG -BIRD or HANG -NEST, common names in North 

 America for the beautiful Baltimore Oriole and its allies (see 

 Icterus), from the pensile nests they build. 



HANNA, the usual name in British Guiana for the HoACTZiN. 



HAPLOOPHON^, Garrod's name (Free. Zool. Sac. 1876, pp. 

 517, 518) for a division of the Passeres Mesomyodi, containing the 

 Families Tijrannidse (King-bird), Bupicolidx and Pittidai, to which 

 Forbes subsequently added {op. cit. 1880, pp. 389-391, and 1882, 

 pp. 569-571) the Philepittidm of Madagascar and the Xenicidae (or 

 more correctly Acanthidosittidse) of New Zealand. Together with 

 the Tracheophon^, they form the group Homceomeri as opposed 

 to the Heteromeri. 



HARELD (corruptly HERALD), apparently the invention in 

 1824 of Stephens, who {Gen. Zool. xii. pt. 2, p. 174) so rendered 

 the generic name Harelda which he bestowed upon the Long-tailed 

 Duck, Anas glacialis of Linnaeus, misspelling (whether purposely or 

 not), the Havelda of Ray {Si/nop. Av. p. 145) which was nearly 

 Worm's {Mus. fForm. p. 302) Latinized form of Ildvelle (pro- 

 nounced Hauvadla) the common Icelandic name for the bird, having 



' Holub and Von Pelzeln {Bcitr. Orn. Siidafrikas, p. 279) give two figures of 

 the nest, one of which is reproduced in the accompanying illustration. 



