5 io 



The Roller-like Birds 



as to make them at this time anything but attractive. They select a cavity, 

 preferably in a tree, but occasionally in fissures in rocks or the sides of banks or 

 walls, this being rather slightly lined with grass, feathers, or hair. In China 

 they have been known to nest in holes in exposed Chinese coffins, whence they 

 are called there Coffin-birds. The female sits very closely and is fed by the 

 male, and as the droppings are not removed by the old birds the nest soon becomes 

 very unsanitary and ill-smelling. The eggs, from five to seven in number, are 

 at first a pale greenish blue, but soon become stained and discolored to a dirty 

 yellowish color. The period of incubation is about sixteen days, and, says 

 Swinhoe: "The young, when hatched, are naked, but soon get covered with 

 small blue quills, which yield the feathers. The little creature has a short bill 

 and crouches forward, making a hissing noise. It looks a strange compound of 

 the young Wryneck and Kingfisher. They do not stand upright till nearly 

 fledged. Their crests develop at once, but their bills do not acquire their full 

 length till the following year." This Hoopoe was formerly not a rare visitor 

 to the southern shores of the British Islands, but senseless persecution has 

 finally driven them away almost entirely. Very similar to this but having a 

 narrower band across the tail, is the Madagascar Hoopoe (U. marginata), Fig. 158. 



In the Indian peninsula, Ceylon, and the Indo-Chinese countries the place 

 is taken by the closely allied Indian Hoopoe ( U. indica), which differs in absence 

 of white on the crest and a more rufous tinge to the head, neck, back, and breast; 

 its habits are similar to those of the European species. 



The only other species we may mention is the South African Hoopoe ( U. 

 africana}, which is distinguished at once by its small size, being only ten inches 

 long, entirely black quills, deep rufous coloration, and absence of white in the 

 crest. It is generally a shy, w r ary bird in most parts of its range, and is more or 

 less migratory, Mr. Andersson stating that in Damara Land it becomes abundant 

 during the wet season, but gradually disappears with the return of the hot weather. 

 " When it first arrives in Damara Land it is seen in straggling flocks, which soon, 

 more or less, disperse; yet a number of individuals are often found in close 

 proximity, leading a person unacquainted with the habits of the bird to believe 

 that it is really gregarious; it is, however, most frequently found singly. This 

 species to some extent seeks its food (which consists of insects) upon the ground ; 

 but, like the Bee-eaters, it will also watch for and pounce upon its prey from some 

 commanding height. Besides frequenting the ground in search of food, it also 

 loves to dust itself in the sand. When in a state of rest the crest of this bird is 

 generally recumbent, but on the least excitement it is alternately elevated and 

 depressed, not rapidly, but in a graceful manner, with deliberation and ease." 



The Wood Hoopoes (Subfamily Irrisorince) to the number of sixteen or 

 eighteen forms, disposed among three genera, are all confined to the conti- 

 nent of Africa, and are distinguished from the true Hoopoes mainly by the 

 elongated instead of round nostrils, a long cuneate tail which much exceeds 

 the wings in length, and the more or less glossy plumage. The three genera 

 are based on rather minor differences in curvature of the bill and the 

 overhanging edge of the nostrils. The Wood Hoopoes, as the name implies, 





