The Hoopoes 1 8 1 



a rock or wall. The female is said to fly out for a few 

 moments during the day, but makes no attempt at feeding 

 herself, and is waited on entirely by the male bird, who is 

 indefatigable in bringing her a supply of food while she is 

 sitting on the eggs. While the true Hoopoes {Upupci) are 

 mostly found in desert countries, to the colour of which 

 surroundings their sandy plumage assimilates, the Wood- 

 Hoopoes (Irrisoridce) are forest-birds, peculiar to Africa. 

 They likewise lay white eggs in the hole of a tree, and 

 their nest, like that of the Common Hoopoe (which in 

 China will sometimes choose an exposed coffin as its 

 nesting-place), is a strong-smelling domicile, while the birds 

 themselves emit a disagreeable odour. My old friend, Jules 

 Verreaux, who lived in South Africa and made collections 

 there for many years, told me an episode in the life of the 

 Wood- Hoopoes, which he himself witnessed. The birds 

 have a very harsh cackling note, whence the Dutch 

 colonists dub them " Kachela " or " Chatterer," and he was 

 on one occasion attracted by their well-known note, uttered 

 as if the birds were in distress. On approaching the spot 

 he perceived three of these birds, one perched on the back 

 of the other, and cackling incessantly. He then saw that 

 below the birds was an erect Cobra with expanded hood, 

 and apparently motionless but for the quivering of its 

 tongue. Gradually the cries of the birds became fainter 

 and fainter, and just as he was in the act of shooting the 

 snake, the lowest of the three dropped off its perch into the 

 mouth of the Cobra, which was shot by the narrator on 

 the same instant. The other birds flew away, but the 

 one which had been seized by the snake was quite dead 

 when he reached the spot, whether killed by fear or by 

 the same shot which destroyed the reptile, he did not 

 know. 



Kingfishers sometimes choose curious places for their 

 nests, and these are often found at a great distance from 



