Upupid^. BIRDS. The Hoopoe. 303 
considerable portion of the African continent, but it is 
THE AZURE-THROATED BEE-EATER {Nyctiornis 
most abundant in the south. The general colour of 
Athertonii). This species, which is an inhabitant of 
: 
the plumage of this fine species is a brilliant green, 
India, resides solitarily in the deepest recesses of the 
both above and below ; the forehead, belly, and tail- 
forests, where it appears to pass a quiet and sedentary 
coverts, are blue, or greenish-blue ; a black stripe runs 
existence. It is very shy and wary, so that specimens 
from the base of the bill through the eye ; the chin 
are obtained with much difficulty. The food of this 
and throat are bright orange-yellow, and this colour is 
species consists partly of bees, and other hymenop- 
separated from the green of the breast, by a brilliant 
terous insects, and partly of beetles, which it captures 
azure band; the quill-feathers of the wings are of a 
by watching for their passage from a perch, and then 
tine cinnamon-brown colour, and those of the tail dark- 
suddenly starting in pursuit of them. This species has 
green, tipped with white, and gradually increasing in 
a stout bill, more curved than in the preceding forms. 
length from the middle outwards, forming a tail as 
and the tail is nearly square at the end. 
strongly forked as that of a swallow. The length of 
The Bee-eaters close the varied series of the Fissi- 
this bird is about eight inches and a half. The Swal- 
rostral birds, and we have now to enter upon the consi- 
low-tailed Bee-eater is one of the most brilliant and 
deration of a group which presents an equal, if not a 
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elegant species of the family. 
greater amount of diversity. 
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Tribe II.— TENUIROSTRES. 
Of all the groups of passerine birds, this certainly con- 
in length ; its head and neck are of a pale brick-red 
tains the most apparently heterogeneous elements, and 
colour ; the back is of a purple red tint in froiit. 
it is very difficult to give any general characters which 
reddish-white and banded with black behind ; the 
.shall include the whole. The leading character of the 
wings are black, with some irregular white bands 
birds composing this tribe, consists in the slenderness 
across them, and the tail is black, with a single trans- 
of the bill, which is usually elongated, sometimes 
verse white band. The head is adorned with a grace- 
straight, and sometimes curved. In some of these 
ful crest of long feathers, each of which has a black 
birds, however, the bill is but little longer than in the 
and white tip, and the whole aspect of the bird, with 
slender-billed dentirostral birds belonging to the next 
this striking ornament erected, is singularly elegant. 
tribe ; but there is this difference between them, that 
In their summer migration, the Hoopoes proceed as 
in the Tenuirostres, the upper mandible, although 
far to the north as Denmark and Sweden, and they 
acute at the apex, is not hooked, and its margins are 
breed in most parts of Europe; but the individuals 
not armed with teeth, which are the characteristic 
which visit this country, usually make their appearance 
marks of the Dentirostres. The Tenuirostral birds are 
in the autumn, and probably come to us from the more 
for the most part inhabitants of warm climates, and in 
northern parts of the European continent, after the 
nearly all of them, those muscles of the lower larynx 
breeding season is over. They have, however, been 
which are the agents of song, are entirely wanting. In 
known to breed in this country. The nest is made of 
Mr. George Gray’s arrangement, the Tenuirostral birds 
a few stalks of grass, mixed with feathers, and is built 
form five families, some of which include a great 
in the hole of a tree ; the eggs, which are generally 
. number of species; but as little is known of the habits 
five or six in number, are of a pale lavender-grey 
of many of these, we need only refer to the more 
colour. 
remarkable examples of each. 
The Hoopoe is generally met with in woods in the 
vicinity of marshes, where they seek their food, which 
Family I.— UPUPID^. 
consists of worms and insects. They walk and run 
upon the ground with great ease when thus engaged. 
In the Upupidae, of which the singular European 
In the neighbourhood of Bordeaux, these birds are met 
Hoopoe is the type, the bill is long and slender, gently 
with in great numbers, upon an extensive range of 
curved throughout its length, and acute at the tip ; 
marshy ground occupied by numerous pollard willows. 
the small nostrils are placed close to the base of tlie 
which are grown there for the sake of their long shoots. 
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bill ; the wings are rather short and rounded ; the 
The rotten summits of the trunks of these trees are 
tars- are short and stout, and terminated by three long 
visited by the Hoopoes, which find in them an abun- 
and strong toes, armed with curved claws of consider-- 
dant supply of insects. The note of the Hoopoe closely 
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able size. These birds are peculiar to the Eastern 
resembles the word hoop>, pronounced softly and 
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hemisphere. 
frequently repeated ; from this the name of the bird 
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THE COMMON HOOPOE (Upupa Epops ) — Plate 8, 
is derived. 
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fig. 25 — which is a well-known bird in some parts of 
THE INDIAN HOOPOE {Upupa nigripennis) is a 
Europe, is, however, a bird of passage in that continent; 
species very nearly allied to the preceding, from which 
its true home being in Afilca, and it is also met with 
it differs principally by its shorter and blacker wings. 
in many parts of Asia. It occurs occasionally, but 
and by the absence of white in the tips of the crest 
not rarely in Britain, especially in the southern 
feathers, except occasionally on the hinder part of the 
counties. The Hoopoe measures about twelve inches 
crest. It inhabits India and Ceylon, where it is toler- 
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