Class II. HOOPOE. 343 



inches ; its breadth nineteen. The bill is black, 

 two inches and a half long, slender, and 

 incurvated ; the tongue triangular, small, and 

 placed low in the mouth; the irides are hazel; the 

 crest consists of a double row of feathers, the 

 highest about two inches long ; the tips are 

 black, their lower part of a pale orange color. 

 The neck is of a pale reddish brown ; the breast 

 and belly white ; but in young birds marked with 

 narrow dusky lines pointing downwards; the 

 lesser coverts of the wings are of a light brown ; 

 the back, scapulars and wings crossed with 

 broad bars of white and black ; the rump is 

 white. The tail consists of only ten feathers, 

 white marked with black, in form of a crescent, 

 the horns pointing towards the end of the fea- 

 thers. The legs are short and black. 



According to Linnteus it takes its name from 

 its note,* which has a sound similar to the 

 word ; or it may be derived from the French 

 huppe, crested. It breeds in hollow trees, and 

 lays two ash-colored eggs ; feeds on insects 

 which it picks out of ordure of all kinds. The 

 antients believed that it made its nest of hu- 

 man excrement ; so far is certain, that its hole 

 is excessively foetid from the tainted food it 



* Faun. Suec. 2d edit. 37. 



