30 Mr. J. A. Buckuill on the 



To the above there is little to be added. From mid-April 

 till the end of September, whether I was in the plains 

 or on Troodos, hardly a day passed without my seeing or 

 bearing these birds — often in some numbers — although on 

 the higher parts of the mountains they do not seem to 

 alight. In early September their numbers visibly increased, 

 and from the 15th to the 25th the country on the south 

 coast from Limassol to Papho through which I was travelling 

 on Assizes (1908) was swarming with large and small flocks. 

 In the bazaars were cages crammed with live birds for sale — 

 masses of vivid blue and green terror — which, poor things, 

 had been caught with birdlime iu the neighbourhood, and 

 were destined for the pot; skeins of dead festooned the 

 shops or were hawked about on strings by picturesque street 

 arabs ; the sky resounded with their unmistakeable notes, 

 and the graceful flight of the companies was noticeable on 

 every side. Our caterer insisted on serving some for dinner, 

 but we found them sweet to the taste and not particularly 

 palatable. They were all just on the point of their departure 

 for Africa, and on October the 1st not one remained. Of 

 the vast numbers then seen I am quite satisfied that not 

 five in a hundred could have been bred in the island. 



669. Upupa epops Linn. 



The Hoopoe is another common spring and autumn 

 visitor, and a number of pairs no doubt annually remain to 

 nest in cool and suitable places on the mountains. It 

 arrives in mid-March, Guillemard recording it as early as 

 the 10th, our first note being on the 15th. It leaves in 

 September, our last record being September 20th, 1908. 



It was included in Sibthorp's list, and Miiller mentions 

 three examples, one of which was obtained dining the 

 breeding season. Though met with not infrequently in the 

 spring by Lord Lilford and Guillemard, neither of them 

 regarded it as abundant. Glaszner sent Madarasz a t'tw 

 specimens taken in March and September. 



From mid- March to mid- April 1909 Mr. Baxendale, 

 Horsbrugh, and 1 found the Hoopoe in considerable numbers 



