462 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 



They are remarkably massive in form, heavy and slow on the wing. 

 They are placed by systematists near the Toucans {Rhamphastos\ 

 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 attributed to the Brazilian Motmot (Momotus 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 (Upupa) have the beak long, slender, triangular, 

 and slightly curved. This group, which Mr. Gray designates the 

 Upupidce, 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 Epimachi 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 British 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 elTort. They have 

 no song, and only utter two notes, which may be rendered by the 

 syllables zi zi, 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 (Upupa epops, Fig. 184) is found in summer as far 

 north as Denmark and Sweden and southward, in France and 



