HOUBARA. 219 



lower liair of felie ruff entirely wliifce, the upper half edged behind 

 and in front with black, rather lax feathers ; back and scapulars buff or 

 rufous butf, delicately pencilled with dark brown, each feather with two 

 dark bands, the hinder band only being visible externally; upper tail- 

 coverts with 3—4 narrow dark bands, whichare distant from each other 

 about an inch ; tail brighter rufous or buff, with the same pencil- 

 lings, the feathers with three bluish ashy bands, and the tips white; 

 under tail'-coverts white, some of the feathers with transverse bands 

 and brownish niottlings;. chin, throat and cheeks white, the feathers of 

 the latter with dark tips;, feathers of the lower neck and breast 

 grizzled with pencilliugs, the elongated feathers on the breast pale 

 bluish white, with dark shafts; rest of the lower surface white, also 

 the axilhiries and wing lining ; primaries white at their base, and 

 black for the terminal half, except the 1st primary, which in some 

 specimens are dark brown on the outer web ; lesser wing-coverts 

 whitish with very fine vermiculations; winglet black; bili horny brown ; 

 irides bright yellow ; legs greenish yellow. 



Length. — 25. — 32 inches, wing 14 — 15, tail 8"5 to 10. In non-breed- 

 ing plumage the male has no crest nor the elongated black and white 

 feathers, but the dark lax feathers are well developed in their place. 



Hah. — Sind, Persia, Beloochistan and Afghanistan, Punjab, N. W. 

 and Central Provinces, Rajputana, Kutch and Guzerat, also Kattiawar. 



In Sind, this fine bird is extremely common during winter, affecting 

 chiefly the large plains and hill sides covered with grewia bushes, on the 

 fruits of which they principally live. It is usually found in parties of 2, 

 4, or 6 and, as game^ is mu,ch sought for by all sportsmen. It is also 

 largely hawked by the Sindees, Faico sacer, Juggiir and Pere- 

 grinus being used' for the purpose. It is found all over the plains of 

 the Punjab, also in Beloochistan, Southern Persia and Afghanistan ; 

 breeding in Persia and Afghanistan, where it occurs in the summer. 

 In R:ijpntana too it has been found, also in Kutch, Northern Guzerat 

 and Kattiawar. The following, extracted from the "' Field" entitled 

 " Oobara shooting in Lower Sind" I think by ''an old Sindee,'' gives 

 a fair account of the mode of shooting this Bustard ; he says — " So far 

 as my experience goes, the Oobara, which may be briefly described as 

 a bird of the Bustard tribe, is chiefly to be found in Sind. I have 

 occasionally come across a solitary one or two in Kajputana and 

 Guzerat, and I also presume they are to be met with in many parts of 

 the Punjab, and, in fact, perhaps anywhere where large sandy plains 

 exist. They are, I believe, seldom, if ever, to be found in black 

 soil. 



" The Oobara is a migratory bird, coming in with the cold weather, 

 and disappearing at the first approach of the hot season. They are 

 usually to be found' in pairs, and feed early in the mornings and late 

 in the evenings. At these times they are so waiy, as seldom to be got 

 at, even by careftd stalking. They appear, however, to be peculiarly 

 susceptible to heat, as the moment the sun attains any power they 

 retire into the shade of a bush and, if undisturbed, lie quiet throuo-hout 

 the heat of the day, or if flushed, only take short flights. This is the 



