THE HOOPOE 47 
with his bravery and intelligence that he took from 
off his own head the royal crown and placed it on 
the Hoopoe’s, saying, truly thou art a very king 
amongst birds, and shall for ever be crowned. To 
show the truth of this story, it is only necessary to 
come to Egypt, when the most sceptical will be at 
once converted, as he will see that every single 
Hoopoe to this day is indeed right royally crowned 
as no other bird is." 
The Cairo Zoological Gardens report it as “a 
fairly numerous visitor in spring and autumn” to 
the gardens, and of course most know that it is a 
1 A variation of this story is given by the Hon. Robert Curzon, in his 
Visits to Monasteries in the Levant. There the Hoopoe was told by the king 
to go home and consult his spouse, as to what should be the royal gift, 
and she, like a true feminine, on being questioned, said, ‘* Let us ask for 
crowns of gold on our heads, that we may be superior to all other birds.” 
The request was granted, but the king forewarned them that they would 
see the folly of their request ; and all Hoopoes of both sexes strutted 
about with solid gold crowns, and ‘the queen of the Hoopoes gave her- 
self airs, and sat upon a twig, and refused to speak to the Merops, her 
cousin ” (bee-eater), but a certain fowler, who set traps and nets for birds, 
puta broken mirror into his traps. The queen of course went to look into 
' it to the better see herself and her golden crown, and got caught. The 
value of these solid gold crowns soon led to every man’s hand being 
against the vain Hoopoes. ‘Not a Hoopoe could show its head, but it 
was slain or taken captive, and the days of the Hoopoes were numbered ; 
then their minds were filled with sorrow and dismay.” The king of the 
Hoopoes went back to the monarch and related their piteous plight, and 
Solomon said, ‘‘ Behold, did I not warn thee of thy folly, in desiring to 
have crowns of gold? Vanity and pride have been thy ruin. But now, 
that a memorial may remain of the service which thou didst render unto 
me, your crowns of gold shall be changed into crowns of feathers, that 
ye may walk unharmed upon the earth.” 
