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saw the males tread the females just at the bottom of the steps, and within ten yards of where I 

 was sitting. I was therefore thoroughly familiar with them, and can assert most positively that, 

 for a number of days, I never saw the female of either pair out. I did not pay any attention at 

 first to the circumstance of there being only two flying about, until I observed both males going 

 up to the nests with gnats in their bills, giving a call, and then putting their heads inside for 

 the hens to take the food. The feeding-times were morning and evening, at regular hours — the 

 former about seven or eight o'clock, and again in the afternoon about four o'clock. I have seen 

 the males getting the gnats &c. close under the very steps I was sitting on, and almost within 

 two yards of my chair, then flying up, giving a call, and coming down again directly the food 

 was taken. The nests were at opposite ends of the veranda ; and only one of the broods came 

 out. I saw some time ago a notice in ' The Field,' mentioning the dirty state of the nest before 

 this would have been caused by the young ; and if my idea is correct, the explanation is simple. 

 1 never saw the males go inside the holes in which the nests were, and I never saw either of the 

 females outside during the time they were hatching, though of course it is possible they may 

 have gone out. If I should live, I will, next spring, observe more carefully ; but it was a 

 good while before I noticed the absence of the females this year. Last year I had one nest 

 only in the veranda, and another in the veranda of my office. The Hoopoe, I know, breeds 

 in France ; and possibly you may be able to find out if any notice of this fact has been taken." 

 And in a second communication he adds, "In continuation of my letter of last year, I may 

 mention that there were again this spring two Hoopoe's (U. epops) nests in my veranda, 

 and in the same place. I find that the hens do leave the nest once or twice a day; but 

 I have 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 (once when Dr. Jerdon was sitting in my veranda) one 

 of the hens flew out, passed her dropping whilst on the wing, and returned to the nest without 

 having settled anywhere. They are fed most indefatigably by the cocks, and the number of 

 grubs, small worms, and so forth, destroyed by them is very great. Curious to say, I saw a 

 Hoopoe killing a locust, which I hardly thought its bill capable of doing. Unfortunately it was 

 disturbed, and flew away, leaving the insect dead on the ground, so that I had no opportunity of 

 ascertaining how it would have managed to swallow such a large morsel. Three young ones from 

 one nest and two from the other made their appearance in due course ; and I repeatedly saw the 

 nine feeding together of an evening. But in the evening of the 11th inst. I saw no less than 

 twenty-one Hoopoes feeding, within a space of thirty yards by ten, on the soft ground where the 

 grass was still green, the whole of the rest of the soil in the neighbourhood being parched by 

 the drought. Whilst the young ones were newly out of the nest they very often sat in the 

 veranda, and I was struck by the shortness of their bills. The birds themselves are not very 

 much smaller than the parents, whilst their bills appeared to me not above half the length. To 

 the best of my belief the female during the time of sitting is entirely fed by the male, and is 

 only off the eggs for a minute or two, and frequently not so long, once or twice a day, for the 

 purpose mentioned before." 



In Dresser's collection a dozen eggs of this bird vary in size from f^ by f^ mcn to l^o by 



