THE WOOD HOOPOES 1823 



females outside during the time they were hatching, though of course it is possible 

 they may have gone out. If I should live, I will, next spring, observe more 

 carefully; but it was a good while before I noticed the absence of the females this 

 year. Last year I had one nest only in the veranda, and another in the veranda 

 of my office. The hoopoe, I know, breeds in France; and possibly you may be 

 able to find out if any notice of this fact has been taken." And in a second 

 communication he adds: " In continuation of my letter of last year, I may mention 

 that there were again this spring two hoopoe's nests in my veranda, and in the 

 same place. I find that the hens do leave the nest once or twice a day, but I have 

 never seen them stay out longer than to give time to get rid of their droppings, and 

 I have never seen either of them on the ground when out. Generally speaking, 

 they perch on a tree near at hand, and after sitting a few moments for the purpose 

 mentioned, fly back to the nest. Two or three times one of the hens flew out, 

 passed her dropping while on the wing, and returned to the nest without having 

 settled anywhere. They are fed most indefatigably by the cocks, and the number 

 of grubs, small worms, and so forth, destroyed by them is very great." As already 

 mentioned, the name hoopoe is doubtless derived from the note of the bird, rather 

 than from the fact of its possessing a remarkable crest, whence may come the 

 French title, " la huppe." Swinhoe writes that the notes are produced "by puffing 

 out the sides of its neck, and hammering on the ground at the production of each 

 note, thereby exhausting the air at the end of the series of three notes, which 

 make up its song. Before it repeats its call it repeats the puffing of the neck, with 

 a slight gurgling noise. When it is able to strike its bill, the sound is the correct 

 hoo-hoo-hoo, but when perched on a rope, and only jerking out the song with nods 

 of the head, the notes most resemble the syllables, hoh-hoh-hoh!" 



THE WOOD HOOPOES 

 Family IRRISORIDJS 



From the members of the preceding family the wood hoopoes are distinguished 

 by the more or less marked metallic gloss on their plumage, the long, wedge-shaped 

 form of the tail, which exceeds the wing in length, and the elongated nostrils, 

 which are partly concealed by an overhanging flap. These birds are represented 

 by three genera, all of which are confined to Africa, and differ from one another 

 merely in the degree of curvature of the beak and the contour of the nostrils. The 

 species which we select as our example of the family is the purple-tailed wood 

 hoopoe (Srrisor mridis) , which is a bird of considerable size, measuring about four- 

 teen and one-half inches in total length. The color of the upper surface of the 

 plumage is metallic green, somewhat inclining to bronze on the back, and with a 

 steely -blue tinge on the hinder part of the head and neck; while the feathers of the 

 lower portion of the back, as well as the upper tail coverts, are bluish black edged 

 with dark copper. The wings are steel blue, their primary coverts being tipped 



