OTIS TETRAX ORIENTALIS 163 



I have no eggs of the shape Oates describes as "short, pointed 

 oval," mine all being spheroidal, or nearly so. 



The texture is much finer and closer than that of the egg of the 

 Great Bustard and the egg is more consistently highly glossed. 



My eighteen eggs of the Eastern Little Bustard average 1'92 X 

 144 inches (= 48 8 X 36'6 mm.) and Dresser gives the average of his 

 eggs for both the western and eastern forms as 1'95 X 1'45 inches 

 (=49-5 X 36-8 mm.). 



General Habits. — One of the best general accounts of this bird's 

 habits, &c., is that given by Seebohm and quoted by Oates on 

 pp. 410-11 of ' Game-Birds.' Seebohm writes as follows : — 



" It is a partial migrant, arriving at its breeding-grounds in 

 flocks early in April, which are dispersed in May. It is so much 

 less than the Great Bustard, that by the middle of May the grass 

 and the flowers hide it completely from view. The females sit very 

 close and are difficult to find, but the males betray themselves by 

 their curious notes. As you drive slowly across the steppes, your 

 attention is arrested by a distant cry, resembling the sound of the 

 syllable spurrtz. By following with the wagon in the direction 

 whence it pi'oceeds for a hundred yards or more, you may generally 

 put up the bird, frequently within shot, but if followed on foot there 

 is little or no chance of securing it. The flight is quite diS'erent 

 from that of the Great Bustard, more resembling that of the partridge 

 than that of a heron. The wings are moved with great rapidity and 

 the flight is very straight, though not very slow. The beats of the 

 wing are so rapid that they make quite a loud whirring sound, and 

 they show more white when flying than the Great Bustard does. In 

 many respects their flight resembles that of a butterfly or of a snow- 

 bunting. We never saw two males together during the breeding- 

 season. The nest can only be found by accident. We were driving 

 rather quickly across the steppe, anxious to reach Kalarath before 

 dark, when suddenly a female Little Bustard rose within 10 feet 

 of the wagon and was speedily dropped by our Jager, who was 

 sitting gun in hand by the driver. We jumped out of the carriage, 

 and in a quarter of a minute found the nest, containing four eggs. 

 The hollow was deeper than that of the nest of the Great Bustard, 

 and there was a distinct nest of dry grass and weeds, though very 

 slight ; it was about 7 inches across and well concealed by tufts of 

 a kind of lucerne." 



Hume says that : — 



" At times, especially early and late, they are very wary, but at 

 other times, chiefly, I think, when the sun is high and hot, they 

 will lie as close as a button quail. 



