46 SKETCHES OP EUROPEAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



wooded districts ; and from the general form and contour of the 

 body, and particularly its subdued and sober tone of colouring, we 

 may reasonably expect that its general economy is in unison with 

 the birds of our own island belonging to the same restricted genus." 

 The white stripe under the eye, and the black on the throat, at 

 once distinguish the male. Nothing is positively known of its ha- 

 bits, &c. 



Great Bustard, Otis tarda, — Outarde barbue, Fr. — Starda com- 

 mune, It. — Grosse Trappe, G. The male and female are repre- 

 sented, rather less than half the size of life. The former is finely 

 executed, by Lear. The history of this splendid and now scarce 

 bird in Britain, is familiar to even the general reader, and need not, 

 therefore, be repeated here. 



Spotted Cuckoo, Cuculus glandarius, — Coucou tachete, Fr. The 

 figure, of an adult male, natural size, is good, but somewhat soft 

 in expression. " Its true habitat," observes Mr. Gould, " is the 

 wooded districts skirting the sultry plains of North Africa ; but the 

 few that pass the Mediterranean find a congenial climate in Spain 

 and Italy, further north than which they are rarely seen." It is 

 not known whether the habits of this bird, as regards propagation, 

 agree with those of our Common Cuckoo or not. The feathers of 

 the head are darker in the middle age than in the adult, and the 

 whole plumage is still deeper in young birds. Of the sexes we are 

 told nothing. — Of course we fully agree with our author that this 

 species has no claim to rank either in Cuculus or Coccyzus, but it 

 must remain in the former genus for the present. 



Northern Diver, Colymbus glacialis, — Plongeon imbrim, Fr. — 

 Mergo maggiore, It. — Schwarzhalsiger Seetaucher, G. The figures, 

 representing an adult male and a young bird of the year, two-thirds 

 of the natural size, are highly characteristic. Equally distributed 

 throughout the northern hemisphere, " giving preference to the 

 regions within the arctic circle during summer, and progressing 

 southward as far as lat. 36° on the approach of autumn and winter, 

 at which seasons they are by no means rare in our islands, although, 

 in accordance with that general law of Nature which causes the 

 young to wander further from their native habitat, we find a much 

 greater proportion of immature birds than of those which bear the 

 beautifully contrasted livery of the adult." Subsists on fish, aquatic 

 insects, &c, which it obtains by diving. Builds on the borders and 

 islands of inland seas, lakes and rivers, the nest being placed quite 

 close to the water. This bird lives almost entirely on the water, 

 " though it contrives to propel itself forward (on land) by means of 



