195 



17 



-§-§■ inch, the former being from Styria, and the latter from Lower Egypt, the Egyptian eggs 

 being on an average much the larger. In shape they are elongated, almost pure oval, and in 

 colour a dull greenish grey, sometimes tinged with rufous, and having a peculiar marbled or 

 stone-like appearance. Dr. Bey writes to us that the average size of twenty-five eggs from Germany 

 is 26'6 by 17 - 6 millims., the largest measuring 28'0 by 18-0, and the smallest 25-0 by 17'5. 

 The number in each clutch varies from five to seven, in one instance eight. Fresh eggs were 

 taken from the 13th of May to the 13th of June. 



Canon Tristram writes in his 'Natural History of the Bible': — "Few birds have had more 

 absurd fables attached to them than the Hoopoe. The Arabs have a superstitious reverence for 

 it, and, believing it to possess marvellous medicinal qualities, they call it the ' Doctor-bird.' Its 

 head is an indispensable ingredient in all their charms and in the practice of witchcraft. They 

 also believe that it listens to whispers and betrays secrets, and, what is far more important, that 

 it has the power of detecting water and of pointing out hidden wells and springs. These 

 attributes have doubtless been suggested by the quaint and grotesque movements of its head and 

 tall crest, which it erects in walking, and then, with a solemn portentous look, it bends its head 

 down till the bill touches the ground. The Greeks and Romans had equally absurd superstitions 

 respecting the Hoopoe. It is considered a filthy feeder, chiefly from its habit of resorting to 

 dung-hills, which it probes assiduously with its long delicate bill in search of small insects. It 

 was probably from its filthy habits and resorts, as well as from the superstitious reverence in 

 which it was held by the Egyptians, that it was especially enumerated among the unclean animals 

 in the Mosaic Law." 



Dr. A. L. Adams, in his paper on the Birds of Egypt and Nubia, observes: — "iElian says the 

 Egyptians respected the Hoopoe for its love of its young ("?). In the ' bird-writing ' it signifies a 

 'brick,' perhaps from its disposition to perch on the crude brick-walls of the native huts. On 

 the walls of one of the famous tombs at Beni Hassan a bird-catcher is seen hauling his clap-net, 

 which is filled with Geese and Ducks, whilst on a tree by his side, among other birds of the 

 country, is the Belted Kingfisher, Hoopoe, and Pied Wagtail. The latter, excepting a little 

 exaggeration in colouring, has been drawn with great accuracy. The Hoopoe is exceedingly 

 well done, and, in common with many of the other delineations, retains the brightness of its 

 colouring, although at least 3800 years, have gone by. It is interesting to observe that the 

 familiar tenants of the Nile valley in those clays were the same as now ; possibly they may at 

 present be more plentiful, as Egypt was then more densely populated by the human race." 



The descriptions of the adult male and female are taken from Spanish examples in our own 

 collection, that of the nestling from a specimen procured in Sardinia by Mr. A. Basil Brooke, and 

 kindly lent to us by him. The chick is in our own collection, and was sent to us by Mr. W. 

 Schliiter, of Halle-on-Salle, who procured it from Galicia. The bird figured in the Plate is a 

 Swiss specimen, also in our own possession. 



In the preparation of the above article we have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. Sharpe and Dresser. 



a,pullus. Galicia (TV. Schliiter). b, c. Switzerland (/. F. Moeschler). d, e, 6 $ . Seville, May and June 1871 

 (Ruiz), f, g, 6 . Smyrna, March 31st and August 3rd, 1871 (Dr. Krilper). 



3q 



