Rev. A. C. Smitla on the Birds of Portugal. 451 



125. fPTEROCLES ALCHATA (Liiin.). Pin-tailed Sand-Grouse. 

 " CurtiqoU' 



Not so common as the last^ but by no means rare. 



126. *Otis tarda, Linn. Great Bustard. " Batarda." 

 Wild Boar and Great Bustards are the lordly species of game, 



ground- and feathered, after which the more ambitious Portuguese 

 sportsmen hunt ; and both are found of goodly size and in tole- 

 rable abundance in certain districts, more especially in the 

 southern provinces of Alemtejo and Algarve. I was fortunate in 

 procuring a magnificent male bird in the flesh, which was most 

 liberally given me by an English friend, and whose body, after 

 I had taken ofl" the skin, for several days formed a large item in 

 the bill of fare of the Hotel Braganza at Lisbon, the guests of 

 every degree at the table d'hote and in private apartments par- 

 taking of the dish, from the British Minister and his family in 

 the first floor, to the cook-boys in the area. The bird weighed 

 30^ lbs., and is the finest example of 0. tarda I have ever seen. 

 After being brought down with shot, the coup de grace had 

 been given by cutting its throat with a knife, as is the approved 

 method of Portuguese sportsmen ; it had also been a good deal 

 torn by dogs, but, though thus ill-used, blood-stained, and 

 damaged, it has been admirably cleaned and mounted by Mr. 

 Baker, the well-known taxidermist of Cambridge, and, thanks to 

 his diligence and care, now stands in my collection a noble spe- 

 cimen of the Portuguese ornis. 



With the assistance of Dr. Suche, whose anatomical skill was 

 of the greatest service to me, I spent several hours in examining 

 the soft wattle-like protuberance which hung below the chin 

 and throat and gave the whole neck a thick puff'y appearance; 

 the result was, that I entertain no doubt whatever, and, what is 

 of far more value. Dr. Suche was equally positive, that this male 

 Great Bustard possessed a pouch of considerable capacity, or 

 rather (as it seemed to me) a number of membrane-divided 

 sacs, which appeared capable of extending to almost any dimen- 

 sions, and the larger of which would apparently contain many 

 quarts. I am quite aware that my own attempts at dissection 

 were very poor, and I should not venture to speak thus posi- 



