of the Male Bustard. 109 



A few years afterwards, in 1753, this account was almost literally 

 translated and the figure copied by Seeligmann (Sammlung ver- 

 schiedener Vogel, iii. tab, 41), but without mention of Edwards's 

 name, and thus made known to German ornithologists. There 

 is no need for me to quote the passage here. The next author 

 who alludes to the subject is Pallas in his Journal, under date of 

 May 28-31, 1772. At this moment I can only refer to the 

 passage in the French translation by Mons. Gauthier de la Pey- 

 ronie (Voyages de Pallas, iv. p. 309), which, though not very 

 accurate in some places, is sufficiently so here. Of the Great 

 Bustard it is said, that "Cet animal a un petit trou sous la langue, 

 qui sert d'ouverture a une bourse aqueuse, qui est de la grosseur 

 d'un oeuf d'oie/' Though I cannot doubt that Pallas was aware 

 of what had been published in England, and republished in Ger- 

 many, this statement has the appearance of being, and in all 

 probability was, founded on his own independent observation. 

 In 1781, Daines Barrington (Miscellanies, p. 553) speaks of the 

 discovery of Douglas, stating that Sir Ashton Lever had failed 

 to find the pouch in a female bird ; and adding that " a gentle- 

 man long resident at Morocco, where they frequently fly their 

 hawks at bustards, hath also informed me that the cock makes 

 use of this reservoir of liquor against these assailants, and com- 

 monly thus baffles them." In illustration of the statement last 

 mentioned, I may refer to the account furnished by Mr. Tristram 

 to the first volume of this Magazine ('Ibis,' 1859, p. 285), and 

 perhaps also to a remark of Dr. Weissenborn (Mag. N. H., new 

 series, 1838, ii. p. 243). 



Several years ago, from a note in one of Bechstein's works 

 (Gemeinniitzig Naturgeschichte Deutschlands, &c., p. 1434), I 

 became aware of a paper by Bloch on this subject; and though 

 I suspected it would prove important, it is only lately, and that 

 through the kind intervention of Dr. Albert Giinther, that I have 

 obtained a sight of it, and learned its true value. I do not think 

 I exaggerate this in saying that it affords the strongest evidence 

 in favour of the existence of the supposed gular pouch that I 

 have met with. In 1782, then, Bloch published an account of 

 the disputed structure, accompanied by a plate, in which the 

 opening under the tongue is most distinctly represented 



