LITTLE BUSTARD. 119 



by no means a frequent bird. On the borders of 

 Europe it appears to occur more frequently, and we 

 have little doubt that it extends beyond the Asiatic 

 boundary. It occurs also in Northern Africa, * and 

 reaches to Russia in its most northern limit. The 

 food is chiefly grains and vegetables, also at times 

 insects ; Mr. Yarrell states, that, in a fresh speci- 

 men which he examined, killed near Harwich, " the 

 stomach contained parts of leaves of white turnip, 

 liverwort, dandelion, and a few blades of grass." 



We have not an adult male before us for descrip- 

 tion, but our figure will give an idea of the distinct 

 black markings which occupy the neck and breast, 

 and we add, from Mr. Yarrell, who can be depended 

 upon for accuracy : " The adult male, when in the 

 plumage peculiar to the breeding season, has the 

 beak brown; the sides golden-yellow; the top of 

 the head pale chestnut, mottled with black ; cheeks, 

 ear-coverts, the fronts and sides of the neck, bluish- 

 grey, bounded inferiorly by a border of black passing 

 to the back of the neck; below this is a narrow 

 white ring all round the neck, and below this a 

 broad collar of black, with a gorget of white, and 

 another of black, at the bottom of the neck, in front ; 

 shoulders, back, scapulars, tertials, and upper tail- 

 coverts, pale chestnut-brown, streaked irregularly 

 with numerous narrow lines of black ; all the wing- 

 coverts, and base of the primaries, white, the distol 

 half of the primaries greyish-black ; the secondaries 

 patched with black and white ; the base of the tail- 

 * Yarrell. 



