THE GREAT AND LITTLE BUSTARDS 7 



situations, at other times concealed, or partly so, 

 by the surrounding vegetation found in the magni- 

 ficent bird's haunts. The eggs, generally two in 

 number, are pale olive in ground-colour, blotched 

 with reddish-brown and grey. 



THE LITTLE BUSTARD. 

 (Otis tetrax.} 



MALE. The bill is brown, greyish-blue at the 

 base ; the iris reddish-yellow. Upper part of the 

 head and the nape pale reddish-yellow, variegated 

 with brownish-black. The throat and sides of the 

 head are a light greyish-blue ; a narrow ring of 

 white on the neck is succeeded by a broad collar 

 of black, below which is a half-ring of white, and 

 another of black. The upper parts are pale reddish- 

 yellow waved with black. The edge of the wing, 

 outer secondary coverts, base and tips of the quills, 

 with all the lower parts of the body, are white. 

 The tail is white at the base and tip, the other 

 portion is pale yellow waved with black, having 

 three distinct bands of the latter colour ; legs and 

 feet light brownish-grey. Length, from bill to end 

 of tail, eighteen inches. 



The female is about the same size as the male, 

 but differs in not having the black markings of the 

 male bird on the neck so conspicuous. The upper 

 part of head, its side, and the neck all round pale 



