THE GREAT-BUSTARD 553 



has observed a hissing noise when they are offended. The most 

 characteristic note is, however, a gruff bark, "wuff, wuff? by others 

 compared to a hoarse grunt or a snorting sound, something between 

 a short cough and the traditional " Ugh!'" of the Redskin. A bird 

 which was struck by an eagle and came tumbling to the ground 

 within sight of Colonel Verner, uttered a succession of loud 

 squawking cries. 1 



As a rule the bustard is rarely interfered with by natural 

 enemies. In this particular case the assailant, a Spanish white- 

 shouldered eagle, probably stooped at it in sheer wantonness, as 

 it made no effort to follow up the attack. But Mr. Chapman was 

 witness to a far more determined attack by the same species. While 

 in pursuit of bustards, a hissing noise caused him to glance up, and 

 a black object shot diagonally past him in the direction of the 

 disappearing game. Presently one of the beaters rode up with a 

 dead hen bustard across his saddle. He reported that as the 

 bustards were flushed the eagle had made a stoop and knocked 

 down this bird with a gaping gash in its side. Not long afterwards 

 Mr. Chapman wounded an old cock bustard, and on riding towards 

 the spot where he had pitched, was astonished to see one eagle 

 perched on the cross-bar of a well, while below on the ground stood 

 the wounded bustard, facing a second eagle, which kept flapping 

 around him, reluctant to attack on the ground, and trying to force 

 the bustard to take wing. 2 Even in England it has been remarked 

 that bustards are nervously watchful of the smaller hawks on the 

 wing overhead. 



The food of this species has already been treated of in the 

 " Classified Notes " ; and here it is enough to say that though the young 

 are probably fed almost entirely on insect food, the old birds devour 

 large quantities of vegetable matter as well. Chapman gives a lifelike 

 picture of a flock in summer towards sunset on one of the wide 



1 Verner, My Life among the Wild Birds in Spain, p. 147. 

 * Chapman and Buck, Unexplored Spain, p. 258. 



