BUSTARDS. 55 



in the south-western counties, the open wolds and shingly parts 

 of the coast being its favourite resorts. The eggs, usually two in 

 number, are laid on the bare ground, often among stones which 

 they closely resemble in colour. As is indicated by their large eyes 

 these birds are to a great extent nocturnal in their habits, and they 

 are of service to man in destroying numbers of slugs, beetles, field- 

 mice, &c. Representatives of the other genera will be found in the 

 Australian Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius) (580) and the Large-billed 

 Thick-knee (Orthorhamphus magnirostris) (579), which range from the 

 Malay Archipelago to the shores of Australia. 



Family IX. OTIDID^. BUSTARDS. (Plate IX.) 



The Bustards are an Old World group of heavily-built birds, and are [Cases 

 represented by numerous species presenting great variation in size. ^ 9 ' 

 All are inhabitants of the plains and deserts, and their stout legs and 

 short thick toes, recalling those of the Ostrich-tribe, enable them to 

 walk and run with great rapidity. In spite of their large, some- 

 what clumsy bodies, their flight is often rapid and prolonged, and three 

 species occasionally visit Britain during the colder half of the year. 

 Of these the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) (585) [PJ. IX.] was formerly an 

 abundant resident on the extensive downs and plains of England, but has 

 long since disappeared, except as an occasional visitor ; while the Little 

 Bustard (Tetrax tetrax] (583) and the Houbara or Macqueen's Bustard 

 (Houbara macqueeni] (589) are stragglers, the latter having occurred on 

 three occasions only. When courting the female, the male of the Great 

 Bustard has an extraordinary method of showing off, and when at the 

 height of his display presents one of the most curious sights imaginable. 

 The tail is turned up and laid flat on the back, being kept in position 

 by the long flight- feathers of the wings which are crossed above it; 

 the pure white under-tail-coverts, inner secondary quills, and wing- 

 coverts are then fully exposed and ruffled up so as to form a frill covering 

 the entire back. At the same time the head is laid back between the 

 shoulders, and by filling a specially developed pouch with air the neck is 

 enormously inflated till only the crown of the head and ends of the long 

 " whiskers " are visible. In this extraordinary posture the bird struts 

 slowly in front of the female, springing round from time to time to 

 exhibit the white under-tail-coverts. In the Case in the centre of this [Central 

 bay, the appearance of the Great Bustard while engaged in his love- 

 display has been admirably reproduced by Mr. G. Pick hard t. On the 

 floor of Case 29 the size and position of the inflatable neck-pouch will 

 be seen in the dissection made from a specimen which died in the 

 Zoological Gardens during the mating-season. It is not known whether 



