164 British Birds. 



makes in showmt; oft its plumage is most extraordinary. The nesting-place is 

 a mere hollow scraped in the ground. The eggs are two or three in number and are 

 olive-brown, with light olive or brown spots and underlying ones of purplish-grey ; 

 they measure about two-and-three-quarter to three-and-a-quarter inches in length. 



The small size of the Little Bustard renders it easy of recog- 

 nition, and the black on the throat, and black and white bands on 

 BUSTARD. , , ,••,,., o ^. X. 



,_ , , , , the chest at once distmguish the male, specimens have been 



(Tetrnx tilrax.) '^ ' 



recorded, mostlj' in autumn and winter, from England, Scotland 



and Ireland, so that it may be considered a rare and occasional visitor. It breeds in 



Central and Southern Europe, as far east as Central Asia, and is sometimes seen in 



large flocks of a hundred birds together. The food is the same as that of the Great 



Bustard, and the nest is a depression m the ground, lined with a little dry grass. 



The eggs are three or four in number, more uniform than those of the Great Bustard, 



being olive-brown or olive-green, with scarcely any appearance of rufous markings 



or grey underl)ing spots. The length is about two or two-and-a-cjuarter inches. 



This species of Ruffed Bustard is distinguished by the shield 



MACQUEEN S ^jj- g^j-j feathery bluish-gre}' plumes on the crop, and by the 



crest of narrow erectile feathers. On each side of the neck is a 



[Honbava .. ^ .. _ , 



... run of stiftened plumes, white with black tips. Macqueen s 



macqiieeuii.) ^ * * 



Bustard breeds in the neighbourhood of the Altai Mountains and 

 Lake Baikal in Central Asia, and visits the plains of North-western India in the 

 winter in large numbers. It has been captured on three occasions in England. 

 It IS an inhabitant of the desert plains, where the sandy colour of its plumage 

 affords it protection. It feeds on young corn and seeds of plants. The nest is a 

 depression in the ground, and the eggs, two or three in number, are clay-brown or 

 olive-brown, with faint blotches of purplish-grey and spots of dark brown. The 

 length is about two-and-a-quarter to two-and-a-half inches. 



This bird holds an intermediate position between the 



^ Bustards and the Plovers. Like the former birds it wants the 



STONE-PLOVER. , ■ , . t^, , r„.. , , , ,,■■•,• r. ,, j ■ 



hind-toe. i he ' 1 hick-knee, as this bird is olten called, is not 

 (Qidicncmus 



,. , likely to be confounded with any other Plover : for its large size 



Lvduncmui.) - - *^ 



and great yellow eye and sandy coloration separate it from all other 

 British species. It inhabits the open downs of the southern and eastern counties in 

 summer, a few remaining during the winter months. It is a shy and timid bird, 

 and when danger approaches it drops on the ground and lies perfectly still with its 

 neck outstretched, and the nestlings share this same instinct of protection, for when 

 thus lying flat on the ground, the birds are almost impossible to distinguish. Theie 

 is no nest, and the two eggs are laid on the bare ground, from the stones of which 

 they with difficulty can be detected. The eggs are of a dark or light stone-colour 

 with brown spots and blotches all over the surface, varied with underlying 

 mottlings of pale grey. 



