7 6 THE BIRDS OF DORSET. 



before I could come within shot, it took flight and 

 followed the line of its companions." He adds, " I 

 believe such a number of Bustards will never again 

 be seen in England together. 1 On January 23, 1871, 

 three Bustards appeared near Maddington, a village 

 on Salisbury Plain, and one of them was killed by a 

 bird-keeping boy with a marble which he happened 

 to have in his pocket at the time, and with which 

 he charged his gun (Zoologist, 1871, p. 2477). A 

 few days later, namely, on January 26th, the two 

 survivors were seen near the adjoining village of 

 Berwick St. James, and one of them, a male, was 

 shot with a bullet (Zoologist, 1871, p. 25 ro). It is 

 preserved in the Salisbury Museum. Nearly ten 

 years later, namely, on January i, 1880, a hen Bustard 

 weighing nine pounds was shot by Mr. W. Hibberd 

 in a turnip-field at Handley, near Woodyates Inn, 

 and was sent for preservation to Mr. Hart of Christ- 

 church (Zoologist, 1880, p. no). This is the Dorset- 

 shire specimen referred to in the fourth edition of 

 Yarrell's "British Birds," vol. iii. p. 208. 



LITTLE BUSTARD. Otis tetrax, L. 



Yarrell, iii. p. 216 ; Harting, p. 42 ; Dresser, vii. p. 383 ; 

 Seebohm, ii. p. 587 ; Ibis List, p. 154. 



The Little Bustard is an occasional winter visi- 

 tant. More than forty instances of its occurrence 

 in England were known to Mr. Harting when he 



1 The original account is somewhat diffuse, and accordingly is here 

 abridged. 



