HOUBARA. 575 



greater wing coverts slaty grey, also tipped with white. Tail like the back 

 with a subterminal dark band and tipped with white j flanks and sides dark 

 brown, mixed with whitish or dark olive brown ; vent and lower tail coverts 

 the same as the back, with white tippings to the feathers. 



Male, Length. 45 to 50 inches; expanse of wing 85 95 inches; wing 

 24-5 to 29; bill from gape 4 to 475 ; tarsi 7*5* 



Female, Length. 36 to 38 inches; wings 20 to 22 ; legs and feet creamy 

 yellow; irides yellow ; bill yellowish at tip, dusky at the base. 



._Sind (Thurr and Parkur), Punjab, N.-W. Provinces, Kutch, Raj- 

 putana, N. Guzerat, Kattiawar, Jodhpore, Hydrabad (Deccan), Poona, Satara, 

 Berars, and the Central Provinces. According to Mr. Doig, (flume, Game 

 Birds?) it is a permanent resident and breeds in the Thurr and Parkur districts. 

 It is said to wander occasionally in the cold weather to the plains along the 

 edge of the desert, sometimes going even as far as the Indus. It feeds on 

 grain and insects, and frequents the cultivated districts at other than in the 

 breeding season. Jerdon has an excellent description of its habits, &c. 

 Breeds from July to September, laying from one to two eggs in a depression 

 in the ground behind tufts of grass or small bushes, lined very sparingly with 

 thin grass. 



Gen. Houbara- Bonap. 



Legs shorter than in Eupodotis ; bill rather lengthened and depressed at the 

 base ; males with a ruff ; no hind toe. 



1247. Honfcara Macqueenii, Gray, III. ind. Zooi pi. 47 ; Gould, 



B. As. pi. 8; Jerd., B. Ind. iii. p. 612 ; Murray, Hdbk., ZooL, &c., Sind, 

 p. 204. id., Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 218 ; Hume and Marsh., Game Birds Ind. i. 

 p. 17. (Tilloor, Sind.) The HOUBARA BUSTARD. 



Male. Head crested ; forehead minutely speckled with greyish brown and 

 white ; crown with a crest of elongate feathers, which are white at the base and 

 tipped black ; the feathers behind the crest resting immediately on the crown 

 entirely white; head behind, ear coverts and neck pencilled with pale brown 

 and white. The ruff begins immediately behind the ear coverts with elongated 

 feathers, one-half of which are white at the base for more than one-half their 

 length, and the rest shining black; the lower half of the ruff entirely white, 

 the upper half edged behind and in front with black, rather lax feathers ; back 

 and scapulars buff or rufous buff, delicately pencilled with dark brown, 

 each feather with two dark bands, the hinder band only being visible 

 externally ; upper tail coverts with 34 narrow dark bands, which are distant 

 from each other about an inch ; tail brighter rufous or buff, with the same 

 pencillings, the feathers with three bluish ashy bands, and the tips white ; 



