THE HOOPOE. 231 



times continues and breeds, but disappears at the end of 

 summer. One was shot in Cornwall, in December 1834. 



The length and slenderness of its bill indicate that it does 

 not find its food in the same places as the creeper and the 

 nuthatch. It picks up tadpoles, beetles, and other prey in 

 moist and marshy places ; but it builds in the holes of trees 

 or of rocks. They are said to perch low, on the twigs of osiers 

 and other shrubs that grow in marshy places ; but in this 

 country they are seldom seen on the perch. They have three 

 calls, poon, slowly drawn out, and thrice repeated when they 

 perch ; boo, repeated the same number of times, is the love 

 note of the male ; and they have a sharp, half-hissing, half- 

 grating cry when they are alarmed or irritated. Five is 

 about the greatest number of eggs, though there are seldom 

 so many in their northern broods ; but they are said to breed 

 again once, and even twice, in the south. The young are 

 very voracious ; and as the substances on which they are fed 

 are very liable to putrefaction, the nests are most offensive to 

 the smell. That very circumstance shows, however, the value 

 of the birds in keeping the air pure, especially in the hot 

 countries, where they are so abundant. 



The length of the hoopoe is more than a foot, the extent of 

 the wings more than a foot and a half, and the weight about 

 three ounces. The most remarkable external characteristic of 

 the bird is its crest, consisting of two rows of orange feathers 

 tipped with black, extending backwards along the head, and 

 capable of being elevated or depressed. The head, neck, and 

 breast are brownish red, the upper part of the back greyish 

 brown, and the hinder part barred with black and white ; 

 the under parts of the birds are white, with longitudinal 

 streaks of brown. The wings and tail are black, the former 

 with fine regular white bars on each, and the latter with a 

 chevron of white, the angle directed to the body of the bird. 



The hoopoe walks well, and has the strut of some of the 



