Bustards. 403 



In shape they are ovals, and they measure 

 from 275 to 3*42 in length and from 

 2*05 to 2*45 in breadth. 



The male has the crown and the 

 feathers of the crest black. The sides 

 of the head, the throat and the whole 

 neck are white in old birds, mottled with 

 brown in younger ones. The feathers 

 at the base of the neck are long, soft, 

 and very ample. The whole upper 

 plumage, the tail, and a great part of 

 the visible portions of the closed wings 

 are fulvous or sandy buff very finely and 

 closely vermiculated with black ; the 

 larger wing-coverts black tipped w^ith 

 white. The first ten quills of the wing 

 are blackish, the others are tipped with 

 white. The tail is tipped with dark 

 brown and terminally with white. A 

 broad blackish band extends across the 

 breast, somewhat interrupted in the 

 middle. The lower plumage is white 

 with the flanks dark brown. 



The female is much smaller than the 

 male, but closely similar in plumage. 

 The mottlings on the neck are coarser, 

 and there is a white band over the eye. 

 The feathers at the base of the neck and 

 the crest are rather shorter. 



Male : length up to 50 ; wing about 27, 



