146 GAME-BIRDS OF INDIA 



accept the attentions of any male who can succeed in conquering her 

 husband for the time being and adopting his harem. The males fight 

 desperately during the breeding season, and are said by some 

 observers often to seriously injure one another. This, however, 

 hardly agrees with Colonel Verner's amusing description of the 

 fights. He writes : — 



" One of the most perplexing traits in the Bustard's character is 

 that he by no means confines the period of these antics to the 

 season of courtship. Long after the females have settled down to 

 their eggs in the far distant corn-lands the males, congregated in 

 big flocks, will continue to indulge in their frenzied movements, 

 which, so far as I have ever been able to see, are purely games of 

 ' bluff ' and ' swagger ' which never lead to more than a momentary 

 encounter — a sort of collision and ' fend off ' with another bird, 

 after which both turn about and continue their absurd movements 

 independently. When one watches such an encounter, one can 

 almost imagine one inverted old cock saying to another : ' You be 

 off ! ' 'I won't ! ' replies Number Two. ' What ! ijou won't ? ' 

 thunders Number One, rustling up to him with creaking primaries 

 and a generally appalling appearance. ' No ! ' says Number Two, 

 equally crackling all over and strutting around ferociously. ' Then 

 stay where you are,' remarks Number One, wheeling about and 

 adroitly evading the difdculties of the situation." 



The nest, if such it can be called, is merely a depression in the 

 soil either natural or scratched in loose sand or earth by the bird 

 itself. As a rule, the site selected is in some field of grain or in 

 scrub grass sufficiently high to conceal the sitting bird and its eggs ; 

 but sometimes it is in comparatively or quite open country, only 

 screened from sun and enemies by a stunted bush or two or a small 

 patch of withered grass. The hen is said to be a close sitter, once 

 the eggs are advanced in incubation, but when newly laid she leaves 

 them at the first signs of danger, and, slinking through the cover, if 

 there is any, takes to wing far from their vicinity. 



As with other polygamous birds, the male takes no interest in the 

 hatching of the eggs or bringing up of the chicks, and these duties 

 are left entirely to the female. 



The eggs are generally laid in May, the time merely varying 

 according to the latitude. In the bird's more northern habitat no 

 eggs will be found until well on into May, whilst many may be taken 



