CLASS II. AVES: ORDEE 2. PASSERES. 101 
THE HOOPOE. 
The crest is very elegant, being composed of long feathers, each of which is tipped with black. 
It is found from Sweden to Spain, and is common in England and France. It builds in the holes 
of trees, forming the nest of a few stalks of grass and feathers ; the eggs are usually from five to 
: six in number, and of a pale lavender-gray color. These birds inhabit the neighborhood of woods, 
generally in marshy places, and seek their food — which consists of insects and worms — ^principally 
upon the ground, where they walk and run with great ease. They also frequently visit trees in 
search of their prey. They are fond of picking about in the filth around houses and stables, and 
are sometimes descriptively called Dung-Birds in England. In captivity they are easily tamed, 
*and being highly intelligent, are very amusing. They have also very comical gestures, such as 
an almost constant nodding of the head, as if walking with a cane; at the same time they raise 
= and lower their crest, and move their tail sideways and up and down. They will follow their 
keepers, and utter cries of joy at their approach. Their note resembles the word hoop pronounced 
softly and rapidly. The French call this bird Swp-pe^ in allusion to its crest. Other species are 
the XJ. Gapensis^ or Fregilupus Capensis, and the FalcuUa palliata. 
THE GUITaUITS OR CJEREBIN^. 
' These have a straight or slightly curved bill, and are found in tropical South America and the 
West Indian Islands. They are small, slender birds, and feed principally on the small insects 
j which they find in flowers; they are also said to feed on honey. Their plumage is exceedingly 
beautiful in color, but lacks the metallic brilliancy of that of the humming-birds and sun-birds. 
Their nests are of various forms, and built in difi'erent situations. Some species suspend them 
I from the extremities of twigs, and these pendulous dwellings are sometimes furnished with a 
1 long funnel, through which the bird enters them ; other species make the nest in a bush or 
tree, and in this case it is usually divided into two compartments, of which the outer serves as a 
vestibule, while the eggs are laid in the inner one, and are thus protected from the attacks of 
their enemies. The Azure Guitguit, CcBreha cyanea, is of a velvet black and blue color ; the 
head golden. It is found in Guiana and Brazil. 
THE SUN-BIRDS OR PROMEROPID^. 
These, which are called Cinnyridce by some naturalists, and are closely allied to the UpupidcB, 
embrace two sub-families, one found in the eastern, the other in the western hemisphere. The 
former constitute the true Sun-Birds, which in India and the eastern archipelago seem to supply 
the place of the humming-birds of America ; they even rival those living gems in the brilliancy of 
their colors, and their habits are very similar. In the morning and evening they are constantly 
seen in great numbers in the neighborhood of flowers, into which they thrust their slender bili 
