1889-90.] The Hoopoe in Westmoreland. 309 



was caught on the coast of Cumberland, some miles farther 

 north, and about a month later in the season. 



Macgillivray's description of the hoopoe is brief, and 

 singularly clear : " Head and neck light red, crest feathers 

 tipped with black, fore part of back light purplish red, middle 

 part barred with black and reddish white ; rump white, tail 

 coverts black, barred with white ; wings and tail black — the 

 former with several bands, the latter with a single band of 

 white." As the female bird differs from the male mainly in 

 having a somewhat' shorter bill and crest, and the plumage 

 paler, I have no doubt that the bird we saw in "Westmoreland 

 was a female bird. The time during which at intervals we 

 were able to examine it was about fifteen or twenty minutes. 

 As it did not condescend to lift up its voice during this time, 

 we were not able to form any opinion on the disputed 

 question whether its common name originated in the 

 appearance of its crest, or in its ordinary cry " up-up " or 

 " pu.-pu." 



It is somewhat interesting to note that in the revised 

 version of the Bible the word "lapwing," in Levit. xi. 19, 

 has given place to the word " hoopoe, — a translation justified 

 by the original, and now generally accepted as the proper 

 one. Thus we learn that this " bird of beauty " existed 

 early in the Mosaic period, and has been an attraction to 

 the human eye through all the ages that have since then 

 elapsed. It is a somewhat humiliating thing to know that 

 the hoopoe is classed among " unclean birds " forbidden as 

 food. Some say it has a disagreeable odour which arises 

 from a substance secreted by the glands of its tail, while 

 others affirm that it has the habit of selecting disagreeable 

 materials for its nest, and so try to explain and justify the 

 Scripture prohibition. But wjiichever may be the correct 

 theory, we cannot avoid the natural inference that beauty 

 may have its dangers and unpleasantnesses as well as its 

 attractions. 



