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HOOPOE. 



GENUS XXXII —HOOPOE. 



1 Common H. 



2 African H. 



•3 Madagascar H. 



4 Mexican Promerops 



5 Californian Pr. 



G New-Guinea brown Pr. 



7 Grand Pr. 



8 Orange Pr. 



9 Yellow Pr. 



10 Red-billed Pr. 



A Abyssinian Pr. 



11 Lesser black Pr. 



12 Blue Pr. 



13 Tufted Pr. 



14 Cape Pr. 



15 Crested Pr. 



1 HE characters of this Genus are as follow : — 



The bill long, slender, and bending. 



Nostrils near the base. 



Tongue various.* 



Toes placed three before and one behind, the middle one connected 

 at the base with the outmost. 



Of the above birds, only the first species is found in Europe, and 

 in fact, only this and the two following conform wholly in character 

 with the Hoopoe Genus. Yet, as the Promeropes of other authors 

 seem to differ chiefly in being destitute of a crest, they claim some 

 right to have place here, according to the opinion of Linnaeus and 

 other authors. The manners of the first we are pretty well acquainted 

 with, but as to the others we know little or nothing, beyond the bare 

 descriptions, taken from dried specimens. 



* In the first species it is short and sagittal ; in respect to the rest, as no other than dried 

 skins have been before us, the part in question can rarely be ascertained. We know, how- 

 ever, that in the Madagascar and Cape Species, the tongues are in both found to be elon- 

 gated, and divided at the ends, in this coinciding with the Honey-Eaters ; but as these two 

 have already found place in the Hoopoe Genus, we shall not, merely on this circumstance, 

 alter their situation. M. Temminck has placed the Cape Species among his Souimangas. 



