EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 89 



The eggs of the Great Bustard are generally only two in num- 

 ber, but sometimes three are laid. They vary from olive-green 

 to pale buff and olive-brown in ground-colour, and are spotted 

 and blotched with reddish-brown, and with numerous under- 

 lying markings of greyish-pink. The markings are generally 

 obscurely denned, and somewhat evenly distributed over the 

 entire surface. On some eggs the blotches are very irregular, 

 and are intermingled with small rich dark brown streaks and 

 scratches. The surface is slightly rough, full of small pores, and 

 possesses a little gloss, but some specimens are much smoother 

 than others. They vary in length from 3'2 to 2' 7 inches, and 

 in breadth from 2'4 to 2"15 inches. They differ considerably in 

 shape, some being elongated at both ends, whilst others are 

 nearly round. 



THE LITTLE BUSTAED. 

 (Otis tetrax.)* 



Plate 23, Fig, 2. 



The Little Bustard occurs in Great Britain nearly every other 

 year, and has been many times recorded, principally from the 

 eastern countries. It has a more restricted range than its larger 

 congener, and its home is from Southern Europe to Central Asia, 

 reaching to about 55° in Eussia. 



In a nest found by me in the Danubian Steppes the hollow was 

 deeper than that of the Great Bustard, and there was a distinct 

 nest of dry grass and weeds, though very slight ; it was about 

 7 inches across, and well concealed by tufts of a kind of lucerne. 



The eggs of the Little Bustard are usually four in number, but 

 three are often found, and, it is said, sometimes five. They vary 

 in ground-colour from huffish-brown to dark olive-brown and 

 olive-green, indistinctly mottled and spotted with pale reddish- 

 brown. Most of the markings are congregated on the large end 

 of the egg, sometimes on the small end, and form an indistinct 

 confluent mass. The surface is highly polished, rather smooth, 

 and the pits and pores are not very conspicuous. The eggs vary 

 in length from 2'15 to 1'93 inches, and in breadth from 1'6 to 

 15 inch. 



* Tetrax tetrax — Sharpe, Handb., III., p. 120. 



