114 



NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



" Game Birds of India." " It is weary work trudging on foot, under an" Indian sun, 

 after birds that run as these can and will, and in the districts where they are plentiful, 

 people always either hawk them or shoot them from camels. Taking the camel at 

 a long, easy, six miles an hour trot across one of those vast wildernesses they affect, 

 you will not be long before raised high up as you are on camel-back you catch sight 

 of one or more houbara feeding amongst the bushes. To them camels have no evil 

 import; everybody uses them; none but the veriest pauper walks, every one rides, 



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FIG. 54. Otis tetrax, little bustard. 



and rides camels. When, therefore, the houbara see you coming along on a camel, 

 they only move a little aside, so as to be out of your line of march, and you at once 

 begin to describe a large spiral round them, so that, while appearing always to be 

 passing away from them, you are really always closing in on them. Sometimes, if the 

 time be early or late, or if the day be cold or cloudy, long before you are within shot, 

 they start off running, and, if you press them further, ultimately take wing, flying 

 heavily, and soon re-alighting and running on, never, so far as I have seen, taking the 



