File:Reptiles and birds - a popular account of their various orders, with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting (1883) (14565761448).jpg

Identifier: reptilesbirds00figu (find matches)
Title: Reptiles and birds : a popular account of their various orders, with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Figuier, Louis, 1819-1894 Gillmore, Parker
Subjects: Reptiles Birds
Publisher: London : Cassell & Co.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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they prey on worms, insects, and terrestrial molluscs.They are migratory, and are occasionally found in the British Islandsin autumn : instances have occurred of their breeding there. Theytake their departure for warmer regions in September. They havea light and graceful walk, and nearly pass their existence on theground, rarely perching, and flying with visible effort. They ha\-eno song, and only utter two notes, which may be rendered by thesyllables zi zi, houp^ houp. They nest in the clefts of rocks orwalls, and in holes in the trunks of trees. When captured young,they become very tame, and seem to be susceptible of great attach-ment to those who take care of them. The Hoopoe (Uptipa epops, Fig. 184) is found in^ summer as farnorth as Denmark and Sweden; and southward, in France and THE HOOPOE. 463 Italy, at Gibraltar and Ceuta, and in Egypt, where it breeds, asit probably does over northern Africa. It has been seen occa-sionally at Madeira, and is abundant at Trebizond, whence it
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Fig. 184.—Hoopoes. comes every year to pass the summer season in Europe. At theperiod of its departure from France—that is to say, in the monthof September—as its flesh is very delicate in flavour, it is a choicemorsel for the table. 464 REPTILES AND BIRDS. The Promerops are distinguished from the other Upiipince by theabsence of the crest, by their very long tail, and by their forkedand extensible tongue. They are natives of Africa, and their habitsare little known. The Epimachus are remarkably beautiful birds. When at maturitythe side-feathers develop themselves in delicate lines or elegantpanicles, while their plumage, richly coloured, is brilliant with diaphanous metallic reflections^Little is known of their habits.They are natives of Australiaand New Guinea. The veryremarkable species, E. multifilehas six long fillets on each sideof its body. The equallystriking species, E. magjins(Fig. 185), has the elongatedside-feathers raised and curling,of a glittering steel blue, azur

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