THE BUSTARD. i95 



natives almost live upon them. They are of a beautiful dark green colour, 

 with a rough surface like the coarse rind of an orange, and are laid in a hole 

 like those of the ostrich. 



The emus wander about in flocks, and are not very shy. A party of 

 travellers once met with a flock. There were as many as thirty-nine together. 

 They came to stare at the travellers' horses, and were so much interested 

 in looking at them that they did not seem to notice the riders. 



The emu has a hollow drumming sort of note. 



THE BUSTARD. 



There is a bird, now very rarely seen in England, that belongs to the same 

 family as the ostrich and the emu. 



It may be said to be the representative of them in our own countr}'. 



The bird we speak of is called the bustard. Like the ostrich, it has no 

 liind toe, and the legs are long and strong. Its plumage is full and compact, 

 and the wings of moderate length and breadth. They are not useless to the 

 bird, like those of the ostrich, but it can only rise very slowly from the ground, 

 and takes some time before it can gather air enough to leave the ground. 



The bustard is much larger than the turkey, and its flesh is so delicate 

 that it would be eagerly sought after were it at all plentiful. But it is a bird 

 that loves the open plain, where it can see all round ; and while there were 

 such places left in England, it lived in flocks. But now that the country 

 is covered with meadows and corn-fields, there are no retreats left for the 

 bustard. It is very rarely seen, except on wild and solitary commons, such 

 as Salisbury Plain, or the heaths of Sussex and Cambridgeshire, or even in 

 the wild districts of Scotland. 



The flat plains of Norfolk, called "the bustard country," form an excellent 

 home for the bustard, and about fifty years ago it used to be abundant there. 

 And about the city of Norwich an attempt was made to keep bustards 

 in a domestic state like the famous Norfolk turkeys. Their flesh was so 

 delicious, and so much sought after, that it was wished to increase the 



