110 HOOPOE. 



belly velvet black, inclining to green, and not glossy ; quills and 

 tail glossy blue black ; on the inner webs of the first six prime quills 

 an oval white spot, not far from the tip ; tail cuneiform, the longest 

 feathers eight inches; the outer, or shortest, only three; the two 

 middle ones plain black ; the others black, marked with an oval 

 white spot on each side of the web, about an inch from the end ; 

 these are placed obliquely, but not quite opposite to each other ; legs 

 one inch long, stout, the outer toe united to the middle one pretty 

 deeply, colour red ; the legs feathered before for half the length. 



Inhabits Africa. — Described from a specimen in the possession of 

 the late Dutchess Dowager of Portland. I have since seen it in the 

 Museum of Gen. Davies ; in that of Mr. Comyns ; as well as in other 

 collections of Natural History. 



The figure in the Oiseaux dorees appears to be too glossy, and 

 gilded, unless it may probably be a high-coloured male, and the 

 above described the female. Is said to creep on the branches of trees 

 in search of insects, resting in troops in different holes of great trees, 

 and the cry to be like the syllables Gra-ga-ga-ga. 



In the collection of Mr. Brogden is one, with the bill considerably 

 less curved than in that above described. 



A. — In a collection of birds from Abyssinia, made by Mr. Salt, 

 is the following, which does not seem to differ materially. Length 

 fourteen inches and a half. Bill two inches and a half long, curved, 

 and black ; head and neck velvety black ; chin and throat dusky 

 pale chestnut brown ; the rest of the neck, breast, and back black, 

 with a purplish gloss on the neck and back ; breast and belly plain 

 dull black ; wing coverts violet, with a steely gloss ; the rest of the 

 wing black, but the feathers of the bastard wing have the ends 

 black, forming a spot ; the quills, eleven in number, have a large 

 oval spot of white on the inner web ; the tail cnneiform, black, with 



