E. Hopkins on—Breeding of Hoopoes



251



of offal wrapped in wire-gauze and suspended in the aviary is a great

help. Birds soon get to know its significance, and line up to catch the

first fly or gnat attracted. Sunbirds appear to dislike bathing in the

ordinary way, but prefer diving into dew or rain-soaked leaves. I have

seen them seizing a branch in their feet and vibrating their wings

amongst the wet leaves. A pair of Himalayan White-tailed Nut¬

hatches prefer diving into their pond rather than use the rock in the

centre. They very often can scarcely reach the further side after their

plunge.



THE BREEDING OF HOOPOES


By E. Hopkinson


Mr. Ezra’s account in the August number of his wonderful success

with his Hoopoes has encouraged me to resurrect from the pages of

Bird Notes the original account of the breeding in 1911, to which

Mr. Ezra refers at the end of his article, and which formed the basis

of the Hoopoe entry in Records of Birds Bred in Captivity (Witherby,

1926).


This was No. 326, and ran as follows :—


“ Has been bred on several occasions,” teste Neunzig ( Einh ., p. 428b

A success in the U.K. is recorded in B.N. 1911, 222, 257, and in the

October inset, Aronstein in Cork.


The Bird Notes account (p. 221 not 222) appeared in the August

and September numbers of the 1911 volume. I give it here in full, so

that it may be considered as a whole, and in conjunction with other

information since received.


“ Nesting of Hoopoes ”


By Mark Aronstein 1


“ I think the fact of the nesting of my pair of this beautiful and

interesting species will be of general interest, more especially as I believe

this to be the first time that they have done so in captivity.


1 The name at the head of the account is as given above, but in later volumes

of Bird Notes it appears as “ Mark Armstein I do not know which is correct.

He lived in Cork and the breeding, I presume, took place there.—E.H.


In the September Notices to Members of the F.B.C. under “Changes and

Corrections of Address ” there is the following : “ M. Aronstein on roll should

read M. Armstein ”. The birds were bred in Cork.—E. F. C.



