240 



Family OTIDID^. 

 Eupodotis australis. 



AUSTRALIAN Bl'STAKL). 

 O/is aufitralig, Gray in Griffith's eil. Cuvier, An. Kini,'(I., Vol. III., p. 30."i (IS-J9). 

 Oti.'i nualnilasiiiHiis, Gould, lids. Au.str., fol. Vol. VI., jil. 4 (lt<48). 

 Choriolis aiislralis, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Auslr., Vol. 1!., p. 20S (ISG.")). 



EupoJulh aiistralii:, Sliarpe, Cat. Hds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XXIII., p. 3:i8 (1S94J; i,l., Iliuidl. Bds., 

 Vol. I., p. 170 (1899). 

 Aui'LT M.M.,K. — (Ip.ni'ral culoiir iihun', iucluilim/ tin' /(•>^sit atnl iinirr nin/iiui, upper yreatfr irinij- 

 comrts blackish-broioi, Jiiieh/ and clu.sely vermicnlati'ii iiul/i li'jlit sdiii/y-hro/i it, somf of tin: scdjnildrs 

 haviiiff one or livo roiiitihil or oral blackisli-liruioi centres on the njjieni pnrtnoi of the leather : the 

 ce.-ntml inediait mill ijrealer x.jiper H'iity-i'orertu hlaeki^hhrniiii irreijiiJiirJ ij tippul iiitli irhite, irlneli 

 injiue/i/ freekleil ivith li/nckinh liroivn ; the outer meiliaa ami i/renter iiinij-eorerls 'jreij, nvilli blncki)<h 

 tihaft-streak.'i, nuil ti/iped irilh white, irhieh is .sepii rated frmii the ijrey remainder of the feathern, oil 

 some of the outer ijrealer coverts, In/ a iiarroir hlaeliinh hue aloin/ the edije of the outer ir>'li ; primaries 

 hroirn, the inner series slrnikid /nth greij : seeondnries like tin' linek : smaller upper tail-eorerls like 

 the hack, the lunoer ones similar, but the rermieulatioiis jiassiiiij into yreu lines oil the ■margins of 

 both irehs ; central tail-feathers like the longer upper lail-corerts, but fiarinij greyishdjroirii bases, 

 loni/ituihnalli/ streaked iritli, dull irliite, or i/rei/isli-irliite, and iisnallij freckled with dull yreyisli- 

 biown : the lateral feathers dark slaty grry, blnrkish iiear the shaft, tipped with white, and liacing 

 the remains of smoky browit rermiculations towards the margins of' the oulfr wihs ; forefiend, crown 

 of head, and lenytlnned fathers on the nape black; feathers aroninl the eye streaked with white; 

 lores, cheeks and entire neck dull white, each feather with -narrow iransrerse blackish cross-bars, these 

 barrings almost lost mi the ear-cocerts ; a line of monstachial feathers on the chin blackislibrowii, ivith 

 ■narrow dull while shaft streaks and dull white bases: breast u'hitr, se/mrated Jnnn tin- neck- feathers 

 all round by a blackish baud, nhich wiihiis out and passes into pure black on the upper portion of the 

 breast, ivliere some iif the feathers are irregularly tipped with, ivhite and the succeeding feathers lower 

 down- ac all i-rossed with a few blackish transrerse lines, as are also the feathers on the thighs; 

 lower jla iiks dark brown, with /chilish margins to all the feathers; under tail-cocerts dark yreyish- 

 browii tipped ivith white, these tips finely freckled ivith, dark yreyish-brown, some of the lonyer ones 

 also crossed, ivith. one or more transrerse wary lines of the same colour. 'J'otal length in the flesh 

 ff inches, winy .'1, of longest inner secondaries :,''/, tail 11 it, bill .'■'), tarsus ~'75. 



AliUI.T FKMAI.H. — Similar in phimage to the male, but rery much smaller; lores and abroad 

 eyebrow dull ichite, irilh a faint brownish wash on the lores: shorter under tail-corerts brown 

 ivith ivhitisli verniicalations. 'J'otal length in the jlesli d2 inches, iving I'J'.'i, tail llJ-1 , bill '2 .'5, 

 tarsus Ir75. 



1 >istribulioii. — North-western Australia, Northern Territory, (jueensland. New South Wales, 

 Victoria, South Australia, Central Austialia, Western Australia. 



1rj\OK size and table purposes the Australian Bustard or " Plain Turkey" ranks foremost 

 amongst the edible birds, and is freely distributed over the greater portion of the 

 continent. In some parts of (Queensland it is found near the coast, but in New South Wales 

 and \'ictoria it is extremely rare in the coastal districts, usually being dri\en there by periods of 

 inland drought. It frequents chiefly grassy plains, open forest country and the margins of rivers 



