CERTHIAD^E. 261 



appears to consist almost entirely of insects and 

 their larvae, beetles, worms and grubs. 



Although included amongst the Scansores, this 

 bird is not much, if anything, of a climber : it seeks 

 its food almost entirely on the ground ; it has neither 

 the reversed claw nor the stiff tail-feathers of the real 

 climbers ; its beak, however, is something like that 

 of the Creeper. 



The nest is usually placed in a hole either in a 

 tree or a wall, or rock ; the bare ground, however, is 

 occasionally made use of.* 



In plumage and general appearance the Hoopoe is 

 a very peculiar bird, and when once seen is not very 

 easily mistaken, even by the most careless observer. 

 The beak is long and curved, like that of the 

 Creeper, black at the tip and for nearly two-thirds of 

 its length, pale flesh-colour at the base ; irides 

 brown ; f it has a very long crest, the feathers of 

 which rise from the forehead and increase in length 

 towards the top of the head they are of a brightish 

 fawn-colour, tipped with black ; the sides of the head 

 and back of the neck are rather paler in colour; 

 across the back are three half -circular bars, one of 

 white between two of black ; the rump is white ; the 

 upper tail-coverts white at the base and black 

 towards the tip ; the feathers on the shoulder are of 



* Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iv., p. 27. 

 f Yarrell, vol. ii., p. 186. 



