+. 7 
sin 
i | 
Ves 
Bc 
HOOPOK. | 337 
perched on a rope, and only jerking out the song with nods of its head, 
the notes more resemble hoh-hoh-hoh. Naumann says that in addition to 
this note, which represents the bird’s song, it has a hoarse note resembling 
khr, and another, which may be the call-note, like vake, vake. 
The Hoopoe is easily kept in confinement, and it has been known to 
breed in captivity. It soon becomes familiar with its keeper, often feeding 
from his hand. It is also said to be extremely fond of dusting itself, like 
the Larks, in the sand on the floor of its cage. 
The breeding-season of the Hoopoe commences in the middle of May, 
and eggs may be found from that time onwards until the second week in 
June. Paired probably for life, the bird rears its young in holes in trees, 
especialiy willows, or in a suitable hollow ina rock or old wall. It makes 
scarcely any nest, merely placing a few straws, roots, and often pieces of 
dried cow-dung as lining to the hole; but sometimes the eggs rest on the 
dead wood alone, or on the remains of the old nest of a Starling or other 
bird that had previously been in possession of the site. In China Swinhoe 
states that the bird often breeds in the holes of exposed Chinese coffins, a 
proceeding which brings the bird into evil repute by the natives, who 
call it the “ Coffin-bird.” The nest of the Hoopoe frequently smells 
offensively ; the droppings of the young are suffered to remain in the hole, 
and the materials used in the lining often make matters worse. The male 
feeds the female on the nest; but there seems to be no doubt that the 
latter often leaves her charge to pass her. droppings and returns without 
delay. The eggs are from five to seven in number, and many of them when 
newly laid are pale bluish green, but they soon fade or become stained 
in the nest. They vary considerably in colour: some are pale greenish 
blue, almost the colour of those of the Starling, others are different shades 
of olive; some are lavender-grey, and others stone-colour. Some specimens 
have a considerable amount of gloss, and the surface is full of small pits 
and streaky hollows, which gives them the appearance of being dusted over 
with minute white specks. The eggs in each clutch do not differ much 
amongst themselves. They vary in length from 1:15 to ‘96 inch, and in 
breadth from ‘77 to ‘65 inch. It is not easy to confuse the eggs of the 
Hoopoe with those. of any other European bird, the peculiar texture of 
the shell being sufficient to identify them at a glance. When I was at 
Valconswaard in the season of 1876, several nests of the Hoopoe were 
brought to me with the parent birds, which sit so close that they allow 
themselves to be caught on their eggs. When they were released the 
black and white on the wing gave to the flight of the bird a desultory 
butterfly appearance, but at a distance it was comparatively steady and 
only slightly intermittent and undulating. 
The Hoopoe only rears one brood in the year. The young birds are 
said to have a hissing note, and when alarmed in the nest to snap their 
VOL. II. 4 
