258 
HG: © PO) FA Crass II, 
birds marked with narrow dufky lines pointing 
down: the leffer coverts of the wings are of a light 
brown: the back, fcapulars and wings croffed with 
broad bars of white and black : the rump 1s 
white: the tail confifts of only ten feathers, white 
marked with black, in form of a crefcent, the 
horns pointing towards the end of the feathers. 
The legs are fhort and black: the exterior toe 
is clofely united at the bottom to the middle toe. 
According to Linneus it takes its name from 
its note*, which has a found fimilar to the word; 
or it may be derived from the French huppe, or 
crefted: it breeds in hollow trees, and lays two 
afh-colored eggs: it feeds on infects which it picks 
out of ordure of all kinds: the antients believed 
that it made its neft of human excrement; fo far 
is certain, that its hole is exceffively foetid from 
the tainted food it brings to its young. The coun- 
try people in Sweden look on the appearance of this 
bird as a prefage of war; 
Facies armata videtur, 


and formerly the vulgar in our country efteemed 
it a forerunner of fome calamity. It vifits thefe ifl- 
ands frequently ; but not at ftated feafons, neither 
does it breed with us. It is found in many parts 
of Europe, in Egypt, and even as remote as Ceylon. 
The Turks call it Tir Chaous or the meffenger bird, 
* Faun. Suec. 2d edit. 37. 
from 
