434 THE HOOPOE 



greater part of the European continent, but in southern Norway it is a very 

 scarce visitor on migration, although it breeds in small numbers in the southern 

 part of Sweden up to about 60 N. It has now ceased to breed in Den- 

 mark, while in Russia it nests rarely in the Petersburg and possibly in the 

 Jaroslav governments and in some numbers in the Simbirsk government. 

 South of these limits it is generally distributed, becoming very common in the 

 Iberian Peninsula and S. Russia, and also breeds in the Mediterranean islands, 

 although apparently not in Greece. It also nests in the Canaries and North-west 

 Africa. A local race is found in Egypt, but from Palestine and Asia Minor it is 

 found in the breeding season across the temperate parts of Asia, south to Northern 

 India, but is replaced by other local forms in the Indian Peninsula and South-east 

 Asia as well as in Central and Southern Africa. It has been recorded as breeding 

 in the countries bordering the English Channel at rare intervals, and would probably 

 do so frequently if it were not for the senseless persecution to which it is subjected. 

 The winter quarters of the European breeding birds lie in Northern and Middle 

 Africa, some remaining as far north as the oases of the Sahara, while others wander 

 to Senegambia and the Hinterland of the Guinea Coast on the west side and 

 Abyssinia on the east, or roughly to about lat. 10 N. Many Asiatic birds winter 

 in India, and probably also in Arabia. [F. c. B. J.] 



3. Migration. A summer visitor and a bird of passage. In April and May 

 the birds arrive on the south coast of England, chiefly on the shores of Kent and 

 Sussex. A proportion of these birds may fairly be described as summer visitors, 

 in that they nest in the south of England if they are allowed to do so. But others 

 continue their migration through the eastern districts of Great Britain and beyond 

 our area. The autumn passage through the eastern and southern parts of Great 

 Britain is less noticeable ; exceptionally the hoopoe is recorded in the winter 

 months (cf. Saunders, III. Man. B. B., 2nd ed., 1899, p. 285: and Witherby and 

 Ticehurst, British Birds, i. pp. 282-83; iv. p. 338). As a bird of passage the 

 hoopoe also occurs in Ireland, generally about the coasts or light-stations, especially 

 those in the southern part of the country. Its arrival in Ireland is very early : 

 many records relate to February, and March is the month in the year with the 

 greatest number of occurrences ; the number diminishes in April and May, and in 

 September and October the autumn passage takes place ; exceptionally the hoopoe 

 has been recorded in Ireland in every other month except August (cf. Ussher and 

 Warren, B. of Ireland, 1900, pp. 111-12). Southern Sweden probably forms the 

 summer quarters of the birds which pass through our area : on Heligoland the 



