GREAT BUSTARD. 207 



1870 and the spring of 1871 — at the time of the Franco-Ger- 

 man War, and a winter of exceptional severity on the Con- 

 tinent — a considerable number of Bustards visited Great 

 Britain. On the 27th September, whilst travelling from 

 Bishops Lydeard to Wells, Mr. J. E. Harting saw one of 

 these birds on the flat country by Shapwick ('The Field,' 

 14th January, 1871) ; and three, out of seven, were obtained in 

 the following December at Braunton, North Devon. On the 

 28th of that month a female was shot at Feltham, in Middle- 

 sex, the first occurrence on record in that small county {Ihid. 

 January 7th, 1871). On January 2nd, 1871, a female was 

 killed at Fenham on the coast of Northumberland (Zool. 

 s.s. p. 2510). A female, weighing only 7:^ lbs., was shot on 

 January 23rd on Salisbury Plain, when two others were seen ; 

 and a bird, presumably one of the latter, weighing 15 lbs., 

 was obtained on the 26th, near Devizes (' The Field,' January 

 28th and February 4th). In August, 1873, a Bustard was 

 reported as frequenting the old Suffolk district, on the 

 Wangford and Lakenheath warrens. On the 14th January, 

 1876, a female was shot on the Downs of Sussex, near East- 

 bourne {ihid. January 22nd), and came into the possession of 

 Mr. T. Monk, of Lewes ; and on the 24th of the same mouth 

 a male took up his abode in a piece of coleseed on a fen 

 belonging to Mr. H. M. Upcher, of Feltwell, near Brandon, 

 who wrote as follows: — "He seemed to consider this field 

 quite as private property, for I do not think he was ever 

 absent for a whole day till the 24th of February. Lord Lil- 

 ford most kindly sent me a female Bustard, which I turned 

 out on Thursday, February 10th, in the presence of Pro- 

 fessor Newton, Messrs. Harting, Salvin, E. Newton, and 

 F. Newcome. The male flew away as I was trying to drive 

 the very tame hen up the field towards him. He returned 

 before we left, in less than an hour, and, although not close 

 together, we left them in the same field. They soon made it 

 up, and Saturday and Sunday they spent side by side, the 

 male bird strutting round the hen, and traping his wings 

 like a Turkey-cock. The fearful weather on Sunday night 

 and the next day proved too much for the tame bird, and on 



