468 UPUPACUCULUS 



Huppe vulgaire, French ; Poupa, Portug. ; Abubilla, Span. : 

 Bullola, Ital. ; Wicdehopf, Germ. ; De Hop, Dutch ; Hcerpop, 

 Dan. ; JHcerfiogl, Norw. ; Hdrfogel, Swed. ; Ydod, Russ. ; Hud- 

 hud, Pers. and Hind. ; Sutdr, Mahr. ; Katkuto, Sind. 



(J ad. (Spain). Head with a large crest, tawny in colour, the feathers 

 tipped with black, the hinder ones with a snbterminal white band ; face, 

 neck, and breast vinous cinnamon ; upper back greyish brown ; middle of 

 back and scapulars black barred with pale isabelline ; rump pure white ; 

 quills black, the wings barred black and white ; upper tail-coverts 

 black, margined with isabelline ; tail black with a broad white band 

 across the middle ; abdomen whitish, the flanks striped with brown ; bill 

 black, but fleshy pink at the base below ; legs dusky brown ; iris pale 

 brown or reddish brown. Culmen 2'3, wing 5 '5, tail 3*8, tarsus 0*85 inch. 

 Sexes alike. 



Hob. Southern and Central Europe, straying north to 

 Scandinavia, Great Britain (where it has nested), and Ireland ; 

 Africa, wintering in N. E. Senegambia and N. E. Africa ; Arabia ; 

 Asia east to the plains of India and Assam ; Manchuria, China, 

 and has once been obtained in Japan. It has also once been 

 recorded as far north as Spitsbergen. 



Frequents plains and open country, either cultivated or waste, 

 and is often seen near villages, or inhabited places. Though 

 sprightly and active it is very shy and wary, and is generally to 

 be seen on the ground. Usually its crest is closed, but when 

 alarmed or excited it is erected and spread. Its note is a deep 

 .hoop, hoop. Its food consists of insects of various kinds, their 

 larvae, worms, &c., which it obtains on the ground. It places 

 its scanty nest, which is usually made of grass, feathers, and a 

 few twigs, in the hollow of a tree, a hole in a wall or rock, or 

 under a stone, and in May or June deposits 5 to 7 eggs, which 

 when freshly laid are pale greenish blue, but soon become 

 stained and dirty and fade to dull dirty yellow. In size they 

 average about T04 by 0'68. The nest soon becomes foul and 

 dirty, and after the young are hatched it is intolerably filthy 

 and malodorous. 



CUCULUS, Linn., 1766. 



670. CUCKOO. 

 CUCULUS CANORUS. 



Cuculus canorus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 168 (1766) ; Naum. v. p. 196, 

 Taf. 127, 128, 129 ; Hewitson, i. p. 25], pis. xiii. figs. 1, 2 ; Gould, 

 B. of E. iii. pi. 240 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iii. pis. 67, 68 ; Newton, ii. 

 p. 387 ; Dresser, v. p. 199, pi. 299 ; David and Oust. Ois. Chine, 



