on Hoopoes and Cuckoos. 241


something in it — that we all live on green food, I think it was

upon grass, directly or indirectly. We humans devour great

quantities of grass — too much the Vegetarians tell us : then our

regimen is more correct than theirs — through the medium of the

ox and the wether ; that is, these beasts eat the grass and we eat

the beasts, taking the grass at second hand. And so with the wild

lion, etc., who will not touch the carrion-eating hyaena and jackal,

but goes for the grass-eating antelopes and the like, living,

therefore, upon grass, taken through the medium of the antelope.

And so of the Cuckoo. Although it does not go in very much

for grass, yet it consumes great quantities of green food through

the medium of the caterpillar. I will leave it to my readers to

apply the argument to the Hoopoe. Any way — keep your

Hoopoe warm, provide suitable prodding-ground, and beware

of the mealworm.


I think I must narrate the story of my last pair of Hoopoes.

They were very good birds, I understood their wants and ways,

and was hopeful of breeding the species. The female had an

extraordinary craze for boot-laces. The instant I appeared, she

would vigorously attack my boots, and without ceasing would

continue the attacks as I walked or rather endeavoured to walk

about. And when one day the bird-girl trod upon her, and

crushed out her poor little life, sorely grieved though I was I did

not utter a word of reproach. But my leniency was misplaced,

for it only made her careless. The birdroom window opens on

to the garden aviary ; and, when the lower sash is thrown up, the

birds fly backwards and forwards. When it is closed, a movable

wire-netting screen prevents the birds from flying against the

glass, a separate screen protecting the upper sash. Now it is

the very strictest rule that not under any circumstances is the

lower sash, when down, to be left unprotected. The surviving

Hoopoe's favourite seat was on a thick bough fixed up high

across the room ; and it was his constant habit to take a dive, or

'header,' off this perch down through the window into the aviary.

One da)', this same bird-girl came to me : — " Please, Sir, Oo-

poop (her name for the Hoopoes) 's a lying on 'is back on the

floor, a kicking on 'is legs in the air." I rushed to the birdroom ;

the window was shut, the glass was unprotected, and on the floor



