2i8 THE OPEN COUNTRY 



the approach of an enemy it presses its body close to the ground, when its 



grey plumage makes it look like a stone, and prevents its being discovered. If 



this ruse fail to prove effectual, the bird tries to escape, first by running and then 



by flying. When sitting on her nest it is said that the hen will not flee from a flock 



of sheep, but remains quietly on the eggs, staring with her large yellow eyes at the 



sheep till they grow shy and turn aside. The food consists of worms, snails, and 



insects, particularly beetles ; also of frogs, field-mice, small lizards, and snakes. 



Small vertebrates are killed with the beak, after which they are kicked about on 



the ground till all their bones are broken. The thicknee's nest is made in a 



shallow depression in stony ground, has no lining, and in May contains two 



pale-coloured eggs, with ashy grey spots and streaks and numerous brown 



marks, which closely assimilate to their surroundings. In the beginning of 



September the thicknee begins migrating to the south ; and in October large 



parties, flying in the form of an acute angle, may be met with on migration. 



In Germany this bird is found only in certain localities, for instance, in the 



Mark, in Pomerania, and in the Lausitz ; in the south it seldom breeds, but it 



is common on the sandy and willow-covered islands of the Danube, from 



Vienna to the Dobrudscha, The Mediterranean countries and northern Africa 



harbour flocks of these birds, and from there the species is spread over the 



warm and temperate countries of Europe, including Great Britain and the 



corresponding latitudes of Asia. 



Like the thicknees, the bustards lack the hind-toe : their front- 

 Bustard. 



toes are short and connected by a membrane, the legs are bare 



above the tarsal joint, the tail is fairly long, and the beak short, straight, and 

 fowl-like. The group is spread over the four continents of the Eastern Hemi- 

 sphere. All of them lead more or less the same life as the European species, and lay 

 olive-green or olive-brown double-spotted eggs. The ordinary bustard (Otis tarda) 

 inhabits wide, bushy, or treeless plains, and prefers fertile soil to sandy and barren 

 country. Feeding in cultivated fields, it generally passes the night on isolated 

 patches of ploughed ground, and in the early morning leisurely extends and flaps 

 its wings before starting on long excursions in search of food. In winter these 

 excursions generally commence before sunrise, but in summer not until the sun 

 appears above the horizon. Except during pairing - time, bustards live in 

 communities of from six to ten, while in winter the flock may often number 

 from fifty to a hundred or more. In some parts the bustard is a resident, in others 

 a migratory bird. In February, but often not before March, bustards begin to 

 be much more lively and restless, wandering from one feeding-place to another, 

 while the males commence to fight for the females, and fly much more boldly 

 than at other times. They often come quite close up to villages to strut beside 

 their hens with extended fan-like tail and drooping wings, puffing up their 

 throats, pressing the head back on the neck, and lowering the fore part of the 

 body. In this position the rivals stand opposite one another, then suddenly rush 

 forward and try to wound each other with beaks and legs, the battle ending with 

 one final blow from the beak of the victor. During these fights they perform all 

 sorts of strange antics, which would hardly be expected from such a heavy bird. 

 If all the full-grown bustards are paired by April, the males, which generally have 



