BRITISH BIRDS. I43 



covering a strip of bluish grey skin on the front and sides 

 of the neck ; throat above white, below pale chestnut 

 orange, as is the upper part of the breast, which then is 

 white below ; the feathers have a pink tinge at the base ; 

 back pale chestnut orange, barred and variegated with 

 black ; the base of these feathers also is of a delicate rose 

 tint. The wings have the first quill shorter than the 

 second, the second shorter than the third and fourth, which 

 are the longest in the wing ; they extend to as much, in the 

 fullest-sized birds, as seven feet three inches ; greater and 

 lesser wing coverts partly white and partly chestnut 

 brown, barred with black ; primaries blackish brown, the 

 shafts white ; secondaries greyish white ; tertiaries chestnut 

 brown, barred with black. The tail, rounded at the end, 

 and of twenty feathers, is white at the base, then pale 

 chestnut, tipped with white and barred with black ; the 

 two outer feathers grej^ish white, almost pure white at the 

 base, with two or three small bars of black, near which 

 they are tinted with reddish orange ; underneath it is 

 barred with dusky grey ; upper tail coverts pale chestnut, 

 barred with black ; under tail coverts white. The legs, 

 covered with round scales, toes and claws blackish, the 

 latter, three in number. Length, 3 feet 9 inches ; weight, 

 28 or 30 pounds. 



The female is about 3 feet in length ; her head and neck 

 are of a deeper grey ; nape reddish orange ; the chin is 

 without the plume until the bird is of mature age — three 

 or four years old — and then it is said to appear, but less 

 developed than in the male. 



The young, at first, are covered with bufF-coloured down, 

 barred on the back, wings, and sides, with black. 



(The above description is from Morris's " History of 

 British Birds.") 



The bustard frequents plains, and was formei"ly met with 



