WOOD-HOOPOES. 59 



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 whilst on the wing, and returned to the nest without having 

 settled anyw^here. 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 makes 

 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 IRRISORID^. 



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 conflned to Africa, and diflfer 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 (Irrisor viridis), which is a bird of considerable size, measuring 

 about 14| inches in total length. The colour 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 with white, while the lesser coverts are edged with copper, 

 and the primary quills crossed with a band of white consisting of twin spots, the 

 outer one smaller than the inner one ; the tail is purple, shot with violet, all but 

 the central feathers with an oblique subterminal bar of white ; the under surface 

 glossy steel-blue ; the breast and upper part of the abdomen shining metallic-green ; 

 the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts glossy purplish black ; the bill and feet 

 scarlet, and the iris dark hazel. This species is an inhabitant of South Africa, 

 whence it ranges as far north as Angola on the west, and to Mombasa on the east 

 coast. In North-Eastem Africa, and on the west coast from Senegambia to the 

 Niger, its place is taken by the allied species, /. erythrorhynchus, distinguished by 

 having the tail greenish blue instead of purple. In habits all the wood-hoopoes 

 are very shy and wary, and very active and erratic in their movements, always 



