G e nus X X V I I .
N ‘ 9. Red-billed Pr.
H O O P O E .
N ” 10. Blue P p.
i . Common Hoopoe, Gen. Syn. ii. p. 687. N° I.— Ar3. Zoo/, ii. p. 283. A.
- COMMON H. Upupa epops, Brun. N° 43.—Muller, N° 103,— Georgi Reife, p. 165.—Sepp
Vog. pi. in p. 12ij.-—Faun. Brag. p. 74. ■—Kelb. Cap. ii. p. 157.
J Believe the Hoopoe * to be met with, and even to breed in England,
oftener than is generally fuppofed, as I have had them
feveral times fent to me j and have been able to colleft various in-
ftances in fupport of this opinion, which I can depend on, added
to others of lefs certain authority; not that this bird is conftant
in its migrations into this ifland, there being infomeyears many to
be met with; in others, few or none. The year 1783 feems to have
been more abundant in thefe birds than any I have yet heard of;
one o f them being foot near Orford, on the coaft of Suffolk, in May,
and another feen near the fame place the 24th of June following :
thefe, no doubt, had bred thereabouts. The place where thefe,
were feen was a remarkable barren fpot. In the month o f September
of the fame year two were (hot at Holdernefs, and many
were feen in various other parts o f Torkjhire, and as far north as
Scotland f . One was fliot the 1 oth of September, at Cam in Gloucefter-
Jbire, another on Epping Forejl, and a third in Surrey. A few years
fince, a pair had begun to make a nell in Hampfhire; but being
* In the Sympfis the tall by miftafce is laid to be white, marked with black;
whereas it ihould have been exprelTed exactly the contrary,
f Mr. TunfialL 2
too
Hi.
too much difturbed, forfook it, and went elfewhere *. The laft
year, 1786, a young bird was fent to me, the 10th of May, full
fledged, Ihot near Soutbjleet, in Eent \ ; but the old birds had not
been obferved.
In Sepp’s plate of the nell of this bird, I find it placed in the
hollow of a tree, compofed of foft bents, and fmooth within. The
eggs four in number, of a blueilh white, marked with pale brown
fpots.
I find this bird, though very common in the deferts ofRuffaumS
iTartary, to be much more fcarce beyond the river Ob-, however,
fome are found beyond the Lake Baikal. Dr. Pallas confirms the
account o f the-filthy manners o f this fpecies, as he met with an
inftance o f a pair breeding in the privy of an uninhabited houfe in
the fuburbs of T zaritzin J.
I am informed by Colonel Davies, that they every year are feen
in Gibraltar in March, in fmall flocks of ten or twelve; hence are
called there March Cocks. They are fuppofed to come from
Africa, and to be on their pafiage north to fome other place, as
they only ftay a few hours to reft themfelves; and it is not uncommon
to fee five or fix flocks in a week, during the time of
their pafiage. He did not obferve them to have any note ; but
that they had a dipping kind of flight, not unlike a Woodpecker.
I have obferved this bird to be among paintings both from China
and India; it is therefore, no doubt, common to both thofe
parts.
* Mr. Tunjlall. f By Mr. Golden, of that place. J ArB. ZooU
R 2 S I Z E