162 ON A SPECIMEN OF DENHAM's BUSTARD. 



p.z.s.1880, 29. NOTE ON A SPECIMEN OF DENHAJVTS BUSTARD 

 P- 477 - (EUPODOTIS DENHAMI)* 



THE interest attached to the existence, or otherwise, of special mecha- 

 nisms connected with the habit of " showing off " in the males of the 

 Otididse, together with the fact of the subject of the present note being 

 of a species rarely seen in captivity, so that some time may elapse before 

 a further opportunity of examination offers itself, must be my excuse for 

 this short and imperfect notice. 



On March 20, 1872, two specimens of Eupodotis denliami, from W. 

 Africa, I believe, the first and only ones of this species possessed by the 

 Society, were presented by Governor Ussher and C. D. O'Connor, Esq. 

 Of these one lived in good health in the Gardens for many years, dying 

 on May 12 last, after having been attacked by a companion hen of Otis 

 tarda that was in the same enclosure with it. Having never observed any 

 signs of " showing off " in this bird, I had always considered it to be a 

 female. This surmise, however, proved incorrect, for on dissection it 

 turned out to be a male. 



P. Z. S. 1880, On examining the mouth there was no trace of any sublingual or gular 

 p. 478. pouch ; on the contrary, the frcenum linguae was well developed in its 

 ordinary position. But the oesophagus, for the greater part of its course 

 in the neck, though stopping short considerably of its entrance into the 

 thoracic cavity, was much dilated, so that by blowing it up with a blow- 

 pipe a large distention of the neck took place, confined, however, to the 

 upper two thirds, or thereabouts, of the neck the oesophagus, which, as 

 usual in the Otididse, develops no crop, being in the rest of its course, till 

 it entered the stomach, of very much smaller calibre. 



On inquiring of Mr. Bartlett and the keeper, J. Church, whether they 

 had ever witnessed any display on the part of this bird, they both told 

 me that during the last two summers (1878, 1879) it bad " shown off." 

 But this display did not take place in the same way as in E. australis, as 

 depicted and described by Dr. Murie (P. Z. S. 1868, pp. 474, 475, pi. 

 xxxvi.) ; for there was none of that downward distention of the oesophagus, 

 and consequent trailing of it on the ground, that is so marked a feature in 

 the showing-off of that species ; on the contrary, the distention of the 

 O3sophagus during display in E. denhami is lateral, the neck being im- 

 mensely puffed out on both sides in a globular way, and so resembling 

 when seen from in front, to use Mr. Bartlett's words, " a lady's muff." 

 In E. australis, it must be remembered, there is a similar dilatation of the 

 oesophagus, extending, however, in that species, over a larger extent of 

 its course, so that " before dissection, by filling its cavity with air, the 



* Proc. Zool. Soe. 1880, pp. 477, 478. Bead June 15, 1880. 



