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UPUPA NIGRIPENNIS,

r0uld,

Indian Hoopoe.

Upupa minor, Sykes, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1832, p- 97 (nec Shaw).

Upupa senegalensis, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xiv. p- 189 (mec Sw
p. 46.—Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. xii. oumlee

Upupa nigripennis, Gould, MSS. 1853.—Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds East-Indi
Birds of India, i. p. 392.—Gray, Hand-list Birds, i. p. 102—Holdsw.
Hume, Nests and Eggs Indian Birds, p. 163.—Leg
1876, p. 458.—Legge, Birds of Ceylon, p. 278.

Upupa ceylonensis, Reichenb. Handb. Scansorie, p. 320, tab. 595. fir. 4036.—
Chine, p. 79.

ains.).—Id. Cat. Birds Mus. As. Soc. Beng.

a Co. Mus. ii. p. 725.—Jerdon,
Proc. Zool. Soc. 1872, p. 435.—
ge, Ibis, 1875, p. 286.—Hume, Stray Feathers,

‘David & Oustalet, Ois. de la

Upupa mdica, Bp. Consp. Vol. Zyg. p. 12.—Reich. Handb. Scansorize, p. 320, Taf. 596. fic. 4037.—Finsch &
Hartl. Vog. Ost.-Afr. p. 198.—Sharpe & Dresser, Birds of Europe, art. on U. epops, in pt. viii—Anders.
West-Yunnan Exped. p. 578.

Upupa longirostris, Jerdon, Birds of India, i. p. 9/8.—Sharpe & Dresser, Birds of Eur. pt. vii.—Blyth & Walden,
Birds of Burma, p. 69.—Hume, Stray Feathers, 1875, p. 89.—Armstrong, Stray Feathers, 1876, p. 315.
—Hume, tom. cit. p. 458.—Id. Stray Feathers, 1878, p. 202.

 

Ir is now many years since I first noticed the difference existing between the Hoopoe of Southern India and the
Common Hoopoe of Europe; and in the name of nigripennis, which I admit now to be somewhat inappro-
priate, I desired to point out the absence of a white bar on the crest, which is one of the distinguishing
characters of the species. Another Hoopoe from the Burmese countries also wants the white subterminal
bar on the crest-feathers, and, on account of its long bill, has been called Upupa longirostris by Dr. Jerdon,
who also supposes that the presence of a white spot on the primaries is an additional character for the
Burmese bird. The recent researches of naturalists, however, have tended to prove that it is difficult, if not
impossible, to separate the Burmese Hoopoe from the species of Southern India and Ceylon; and the remarks
of both Captain Legge and Mr. Hume show that this is the case. The latter gentleman writes respecting
U. longirostris :—‘ Whether this species is a good one may be doubtful. In size typical males equal or
exceed Upupa epops, but are more rufous and absolutely want even a trace of white on the crest, which
U. nigripennis, Gould, our commonest Indian Hoopoe, often has, and have bills a larger than
this lattter species. I have seen no specimen of U. epops with a bill of more than piece ; the largest
bill of U. nigripennis that I have ever yet noticed was 2:1 inches ; the bull of one speoniey of the present
species, sent by Captain Feilden, measures 2°5 inches from forehead i point. Se bills of ue alle Hoopoes
are always longer than those of the females; but, sex for sex, J ae that typical U. Oe ae
young bird, sent by Mr. Oates, has the bill at front 2°2 inches) will be found always to have a bill conspi-

: : + te further -ated by the entire absence of white
cuously longer than U. epops, from which, moreover, it 1s further sepat ou Mie
much ereater size at once divides it. But then my experience

5

on the crest, while from U. nigripennis its es
which it is very hard to separate

is that the majority of the birds are not typical, but intermediate forms,

from U. nigripennis.

‘¢ As for the presence or absence of the white spot on the first primary, ereeee
specimens of each are before me, exhibiting the

on neither of them.”
often have bills as long as those of the

on which Dr. Jerdon lays some

stress, it is worthless as a diagnosis of all three species :

spot on both first primaries, on one of them only, and, lastly,
\ a

Captain Vincent Legge also states that Ceylonese specimens

BFS ten, | f the Indian Hoopoe as throughout Southern India, extending through part
Dr. Jerdon gives the range of the Indie f
; §

; -ding to Captain Legge it is an
of Central India to the north-west provinces and the Dehra Doon. oa a a te oe
, i ine th m the n é -eas
inhabitant of many of the dry districts m Ceylon, bemg v 0
: ; i rmese YF
island, but is not found in the south-west. The Burt

: : : inan.
Burmah to Siam, and is also found in the island of Haine

3 Bes ies 18 cont ;
The best account of the habits of the present ee harming bird frequents, in theisland of Ceylon,

, : : wing extracts:—‘* £ his ¢ 5 a ee 3 A lag arte
A ae oa d ite plains cultivated fields, dry grazing-land in the jungles of the
ub-dott ains,

ery common b
ace extends from Pegu, Tenasserim, and

O Q sale © Ririaec -
ained in Capt. Vincent Legge’s ‘ Birds of

open sparsely-timbered ground, ser