THE HOOPOE 
Upupa epops 
Arabic, Hud Hud 
Head and crest rich rusty orange ; the tips of feathers of 
crest black; the neck and chest rufous changing to a pink 
hue on breast ; wings and tail black with broad white parallel 
bars; under-parts buff to white; legs brown; beak black ; 
eyes brown. Length, 12 inches. 
THE hoop-hoop-hoop cry of this bird is almost 
as curiously attractive as its varied plumage and 
magnificent crest. You see it everywhere, and it 
loves the haunts of man. It is not well to know 
too much of one’s heroes, and it certainly is well 
not to know too much of the habits of some of the 
wild children of the earth and air. The repulsive- 
ness of the menu of the Hoopoe is enough to make 
one put one’s pen through its name and never 
mention it. But it is not always feeding, and when 
walking about in stately fashion on some mud wall, 
lifting its great circular crown of feathers ever and 
again, whilst it utters its call-name hoop-hoop- 
hoopoe, it is so picturesque and charming one has 
to pass its nasty little peculiarities by. We have 
to do this frequently with our own unfeathered 
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