146 The Great Bustard 
flap away in what appears to be a most leisurely manner. Save 
when there is a strong wind, or when coming off higher ground, 
they rarely fly more than 30 yards above the ground and hence, 
when they take the right direction, afford good driving shots. 
Nothing, however, is more deceptive than the pace they fly at, 
for owing to the steady beats of their immense pinions, some 8 ft. 
across, they seem to the eye to be moving slowly ; but they are not. 
AFTER A GREAT BUSTARD DRIVE. 
It has fallen to my lot to organize many Bustard drives 
and despite the fact that I invariably caution every sportsman 
who has not seen them before to shoot well forward, it is a 
remarkable fact that no bird is oftener or more easily missed. 
This is the experience of everybody I have ever met. To 
appreciate the extraordinary speed they travel at it is necessary 
to have a bird pass close over one. More than once, when 
lying absolutely prone on my face amid a_ few dead thistles, 
after a long wait for the drive to come off, a Great Bustard 
