192 THE USEFUL BIRDS 



BUSTARD 



(Plain-Turkey). 



Eupodotis australis, Grey. 



tJ-po-dotis ds-tra'lis. 

 Australis southern; eupodia, strength or speed of foot; otis, bustard. 

 Otis australasianus, Gould, " Birds of Australia," fol., \ ol. vi., pi. 4. 

 Geographical Distribution. — Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9. 



Key to the Species. — Feathers of the neck and forehead elongated ; a 

 black patch across the chest and the sides of it ; greater wing 

 coverts ashy-black, with a white spot at the end ; bill flattened and 

 obtuse. Total length, 48 inches. 



This, the sole representative of the Bustard family in 

 Australia, is, geographically speaking, an isolated species, the 

 Malay Archipelago and the adjacent Asiatic mainland, which 

 do not possess any member of this group, dividing it from its 

 nearest relative, an Otis of India. 



Up to a recent date the so-called Turkey was to be found 

 in considerable numbers in Southern Australia, particularly 

 along the banks of the River Murray, but advancing civiliza- 

 tion and the merciless warfare waged against them have so 

 far reduced their numbers that now they are rarely seen in 

 this district. It seems beyond the powers of the average man 

 who possesses a gun to resist the temptation to shoot every 

 Turkey that comes within gunshot, despite the law that 

 protects them, and in defiance (or perhaps in ignorance) of the 

 immense services rendered to growers by these birds. 



There is little doubt about the fine quality of a roast 

 Bustard, yet a dish of this kind demands a heavy price for its 

 enjoyment ; for the death of even one such voracious eater of 

 ground vermin — grasshoppers, &c. — as the bird has proved 

 itself to be, is a loss of many pounds sterling to the rustic 



