98 OTITID^. 



edge of the desert, sometimes going even as far as the Indus. It feeds on 

 grain and insects, and frequents the cultivated districts at other than the 

 breeding season. Jerdon has an excellent description of its habits, &c. 

 Breeds from July to September, laying from one to two eggs in a depression 

 in the ground behind tufls of grass or small bushes, lined very sparingly with 

 thin grass. 



Gen. 'H.OUbSiVSi.—Bo?iap. 



Legs shorter than in Eupodotis ; bill rather lengthened and depressed at the 

 base ; males with a ruff ; no hind toe. 



124. Houbara Macqueenii, Gray, III. ind. Zool. pi. 47 ; Gould, 



B. As. pi. 8; jferd., B. Ind. iii. p. 612 ; Murray, Hdhk., ZooL, c^r., Siud, 

 p. 204. id., Vert. Zool. Si'nd, p. 21S ; Hume atid Marsh., Game Birds Ind. i. 

 p. 17; Murray, Avxf. Brit. Ind. ii. p. 575, No. 1247. {Tilloor, Sind.) — The 

 Houbara Bustard. 



Male. — Head crested ; forehead minutely speckled with greyish brown and 

 white ; crown with a crest of elongate feathers, which are white at the base and 

 tipped black ; the feathers behind the crest resting immediately on the crown 

 entirely white; head behind, ear coverts and neck pencilled with pale brown 

 and white. The ruff begins immediately behind the ear coverts with elongated 

 feathers, one-half of which are white at the base for more than one-half their 

 length, and the rest shining black; the lower half of the ruff entirely white, 

 the upper half edged behind and in front with black, rather lax feathers ; back 

 and scapulars buff or rufous buff, 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, which are distant 

 from each other about an inch ; tail brighter rufous or buff, with the same 

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

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

 brownish mottlings ; chin, throat and cheeks white, the feathers of the latter 

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

 the elongated feathers on the breast pale bluish white, with dark shafts ; 

 rest of the lower surface white, also the axillaries 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 ; bill horny 

 brown ; irides bright yellow ; legs greenish yellow. 



Length. — 2.5 to 32 inches; wing 14 to 15 ; tail 8-5 to 10. In non-breeding 

 plumage the male has no crest nor the elongated black and white feathers, but 

 the dark lax feathers are well developed in their place. 



Sab. — Sind, Persia, Beloochistan and Afghanistan, Punjab, N.-W. and 

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



