66 PASSERES. 



Fig. ^2.— The Hoopoe {Upupa epops). 



a shrill and disagreeable cry : " Zee, zee" is their call of alarm ; and in spring 

 the love-note of the male has been expressed by '"'' Boo, boo, boo," uttered 

 loud enough to be heard at a considerable distance. Their flight is slow and 

 undulating, performed by jerks, and sustained by frequent smart strokes of 

 the wings ; their walk resembles that of the common fowl or partridge. The 

 crest usually falls backward on the neck, except when the bird is surprised or 

 irritated, and then it stands erect ; under the same circumstances the tail too 

 is erected and spread out hke a fan. The flesh of these birds has a musky 

 flavour, which is said to repel cats, nevertheless it is in request for the table 

 in the south of France, Italy, and the Greek islands. 



Siib-Faniily II. 

 THE PLUMED BIRDS. EPIMACHIN.^.* 



General Characteristics.— Bill more or less lengthened, slender, >ind arched to 

 the tips, which are acute ; the nostrils lateral, and placed in a broad basal groove, 

 which is mostly concealed by the projecting plumes of the forehead, leaving the 

 opening small and exposed ; wings moderate and rounded ; tail of various lengths, 

 sometimes even or graduated at its end ; tarsi more or less long, robust, and usually 

 covered with broad scales in front ; toes long and strong, with the outer toe united 

 at its base, the hind toe very long, strong, and armed with a powerful claw. 



The entire island of New Guinea, situated almost beneath the 

 equator, is covered with one vast forest, composed of trees which 



* eVt/taxos, epimachos, open to attack, i.e., defenceless. 



