^^S LESSER BUSTARD. Class II. 



of holding near fevcn quarts •, and this they pro- 

 bably fill with water, to fupply the hen when fit- 

 ting, or the young before they can fly. Bnftards 

 lay only two eggs, of the fize of thofe of a goofe, 

 * of a pale olive brown, mari^ed with fpots of a 



darker color •, they make no nefl, only fcrape a 

 hole in the ground. In autumn they are (in IViU- 

 Jhire) generally found in large turnep fields near 

 the Downs, and in flocks of fifty or more. 



on. Lesser. The French Canne-patiere. V. 24. de Buffon, II. 40. 

 Wil orn, 179. PL Enl. 10. 25. 



La petite outard. Brijfon a^, Otis Tetrax. Lin./yji. 264. 



THERE have been three or four inftances of 

 this fpecies being fliot in England^ but the 

 fpecimens I have feen have been all female. Whe- 

 ther they were accidental ftragglers from the con- 

 tinent ; or whether they breed here, and the male 

 has efcaped the fportfman's notice, is not yet afcer- 

 tained. 



This bird is about the fize of a pheafant. The 

 male, which I have feen in France^ varies much in 

 the colors of the neck from the female, being 

 black, marked tranfverfely above and below with 

 a band of white. The crown of the head black 

 and ferruginous. The back, fcapulars, and coverts 

 of the wings varied with black and ferruginous 



lines. 



