A. Ezra—Nesting and Rearing of the European Hoopoe 209


the bare ground, some fifty or a hundred yards from the edge of the

swamp, lined with grass and roots. They lay two to four eggs, which

are pointed at one end, sandy buff, spotted with black. I have had

a pair of these interesting birds for nearly ten years, which were brought

over by Mr. Webb, the well-known collector. All these years they

never attempted to nest, but this spring they started making a nest

between two large stones in one of my large aviaries, which is occupied

by several other birds. The nest consisted of small pieces of bark.


The first egg was laid on the 5th May, and another on the 7th. Colour

of eggs fawn, heavily speckled with dark brown and black.


Two young were hatched on the 8th June. Colour when

hatched was brownish-grey, beak and legs slate grey. When nine

days old the colour of the neck and breast began to turn into a dirty

white. The chicks were fed on ants eggs, and finely chopped meal¬

worms for the first ten days, after that whole meal-worms, gentles, ant’s

eggs, and stock food were given, and it was noticed that the chicks

preferred the stock food to the meal-worms but the ant’s eggs were

first favourites. To protect the birds while sitting, a wire

frame, five feet square was put round them to prevent the other birds

in the aviary from interfering. Both birds took turns in the incubation,

but they always left the nest whenever anyone approached. On the

17th July, when this goes to the Editor, the birds are well grown, and

are assuming the colour of the parents, black and white. I don’t

believe this bird has been bred in captivity before.



NESTING AND SUCCESSFUL REARING OF

THE EUROPEAN HOOPOE


(XJpupa epops)


By A. Ezra


This very attractive bird is common in Central and Southern

Europe, Asia, east to Siberia, and N.W. to India and North Africa.

They migrate in the winter to West and East Africa, as far south as

Gambia, Abyssinia, and to South India. They are replaced by very

near races in eastern Asia, Egypt, tropical and South Africa, and



