4o2 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 
They are remarkably massive in form, heavy and slow on the wing. 
They are placed by systematists near the Toucans (/amphastos), 
from similarity of habits, and especially from the structure of the 
tongue, which is in both long, and so much ciliated at the sides as 
to resemble a feather. The feet, however, are totally different from 
those of the Toucans. In the Motmots the beak is long, robust, and 
crenated at the edge. They are very wild, and lead an isolated 
life in the thick forests of South America, where they build in holes in 
trees. About the size of a Magpie, many of that bird’s bad qualities 
are aera to the Brazilian Motmot (A/omotus braziliensis, Fig. 
183). 
‘TENUIROSTRES. 
The Passerine Tenuirostres are characterised by a long slender 
beak, straight or curved, but always without indentation. ‘They are 
insectivorous, and comprise the Hoopoes, Humming-birds, Creepers, 
and Nuthatches. 
The Hoopoes (Ufupa) have the beak long, slender, triangular, 
and slightly curved. This group, which Mr. Gray designates the 
Upupide, includes a number of birds whose general form presents 
the greatest analogy, but which possess their own peculiarities of 
plumage and special physiognomy. ‘This has necessitated its-sub- 
division into sub-families, of which the Hoopoes, the Promerops, and 
the Epimachii are worthy of notice. 
The Hoopoes are easily recognised from the double range of 
plumes which form an arched crest on their head, which they have 
the power of raising at pleasure. These feathers are, in_ the 
Common Hoopoe, of a ruddy buff colour, tipped with black. They 
are solitary birds, living by preference in low grounds and humid 
places, where they prey on worms, insects, and terrestrial molluscs. 
They are migratory, and are occasionally found in the Bnitish Islands 
in autumn : instances have occurred of their breeding there. ‘They 
take their departure for warmer regions in September. They have 
a light and graceful walk, and nearly pass their existence on the 
ground, rarely perching, and flying with visible effort. They have 
no song, and only utter two notes, which may be rendered by the 
syllables 2i 27, houp houp. They nest in the clefts of rocks or 
walls, and in holes in the trunks of trees. When captured young, 
they ‘become very tame, and seem to be susceptible of great attach- 
ment to those who take care of them. ; 
The Hoopoe (Upufa efops, Fig. 184) is found in summer as far 
north as Denmark and Sweden; and southward, in France and 
