THE HOOPOE, OR LAPWING OF SCRIPTURE.
The Dukiphath of Scripture—Various interpretations of the word—The Hoopoe—Its beauty and ill reputation—The unpleasant odour of its nest—Food of the Hoopoe—Its beautiful nest, and remarkable gestures—A curious legend of Solomon and the Hoopoe[ 392]
THE SPARROW.
Signification of the word Tzippor—The bird used for the leper's sacrifice—The Sparrow upon the house-top—Architecture of the East—Proclamation from the house-tops—The Blue Thrush, its appearance and habits—Little birds exposed for sale in the market—The two Sparrows sold for a farthing—Bird-catching—The net, the snare, and the trap—The Sparrow that builds her nest in the Temple—The Tree Sparrow—Various Sparrows that inhabit Palestine—Birds kept in cages[ 395]
THE CUCKOO.
The Cuckoo only twice mentioned in Scripture—Difficulty of identifying the Shachaph—The common species, and the Great Spotted Cuckoo—Depositing the egg—Conjectures respecting the Shachaph—Etymology of the word—The various gulls, and other sea-birds[ 405]
THE DOVE.
Parallel between the lamb and the Dove—Derivation of the Hebrew word Yonâh—The Dove and the olive branch—Abram's sacrifice, and its acceptance—The sacrifice according to the law of Moses—The Dove-sellers of the Temple—Talmudical zoology—The story of Ilisch—The Dove and the raven—The Dove a type of Israel—The Beni-yonâh, or Sons of Pigeons—Home-finding instinct of the pigeon—The Oriental Dove-cotes—Voice of the Dove—Its strength of wing—The Dove's dung of Samaria—Various pigeons of Palestine—The Rock Dove and its multitudes—The Dove and the Griffon—The Turtle Doves of Palestine, and their appearance and habits[ 408]
POULTRY.