Page:Natural History, Birds.djvu/68

Rh long, with a long and nearly straight claw. The head is furnished with an erectile crest.

The birds of this genus reside in Africa and Asia, and one species is a summer visitant of Europe, even as far north as Sweden. They prefer moist situations in the neighbourhood of woods, seeking for insects upon the ground, among manure, and among the foliage of trees.

The European Hoopoe (Upupa epops, .) though certainly not a common, is a pretty constant visitor to the British islands; particularly



in the later summer months; few seasons now pass without the record of some specimens having been observed; as from their size, their elegant plumose crest, and the striking contrasts of colour