196 OTIDIDAi 
area of the skin might be tattooed with a dark indelible 
pigment. This may be done very conveniently on one of 
the bare areas of skin (apteria), 7.e., between the tracts 
along which the feathers grow (pteryle). I have success- 
fully tattooed homing-pigeons, only very few feathers 
being lost by this treatment. 
Though male Bustards, like Ruffs, fight savagely to 
gain possession of the females, it still remains uncertain 
whether they are truly polygamous. One thing is certain, 
namely, that when their consorts are hatching they leave 
them and assemble in small companies. 
The remarkable posture which the male assumes during 
his ardent fits of courtship is best understood by a reference 
to an excellent illustration by Wolf (‘ Zoological Sketches,’ 
pl. 45). Suffice it to mention that the erected tail, the 
retracted head and neck, and much distended throat, are 
almost hidden from view among the short and elevated 
feathers of the drooping wings. 
Flight—Except in late spring (end of May and early 
June), when the Bustard loses its flight-feathers and can- 
not rise, it is strong and swift on the wing and readily 
escapes danger by flying rather than running. 
Voice.-—The voice is soft and has been compared to 
the cooing of a pigeon. 
Food.—Grain forms the staple diet, but worms, field- 
mice, and frogs, are not discarded. 
From the days of Xenophon the flesh of the Bustard 
has been esteemed a delicacy (Anab. I., v.) (Newton). 
Nest.—The nest is simply a hollow scraped in the soil; 
the eggs, two to three in number, are olive-green, blotched 
with brown. Incubation begins in April or May. ‘The 
Great Bustard remained indigenous in England for a much 
longer period than in Scotland. It bred in small numbers 
on the Plains of Berwickshire and Kast Lothian until 1526, 
while in England the last eggs were taken in Norfolk and 
Suffolk about 1838. Formerly this fine bird bred in Berk- 
shire, Hertfordshire, the Wolds of Lincolnshire and the 
Downs of Sussex, Salisbury Plain, and the Eastern Wolds 
of Yorkshire. 
Geographical distribution.—Abroad, this species breeds 
in Southern Europe, especially in the vicinity of the Danube 
and Black Sea, in Spain, and in Germany; in countries 
further north it is only a wanderer. It also breeds on the 
Steppes of Asia and can be traced to Western China, but in 
North Africa it is uncommon. 
