WADERS 



GRALL^E. 



Bustard Otis. This genus comprises some twenty species, 

 inhabiting the temperate and hot latitudes of the Old World. 

 Only two of these are resident in Europe, and of these one is 

 represented in Heligoland. 



249. Little Bustard [ZWERGTRAPPE]. 

 OTIS TETRAX, Linn. 



Otis tetrax. Naumann, vii. 52. 



Little Bustard. Dresser, vii. 338. 



Outarde canepetiere. Temminck, Manuel, ii. 507, iv. 343. 



About fifty years ago two examples of this interesting species 

 were shot on this island. I myself, however, had to wait for nearly 

 thirty years before I succeeded in securing a specimen of this much- 

 coveted bird for my collection. The bird in question was observed 

 here on the 27th June 1882 ; the first shot only wounded it, but 

 it was killed a few hours later. It is a male of the previous 

 year, without any indication of the beautiful black and white 

 markings of the head and neck ; in any case, we can now say that 

 the species is represented here. 



For several weeks previous to the occurrence of this bird, we 

 had had a light south-east wind and very hot weather ; these are 

 favourable conditions for the appearance of species from the far 

 East indeed, a Saxicola morio had been killed on the 6th of 

 the month, Alfred Newton and Canon Tristram being here on a 

 visit at the time. We may therefore probably assume that the 

 Bustard had also reached the island from that quarter certainly 

 not from the south, nor as still less likely from the west. 



The breeding area of this Bustard extends from Portugal to 

 India, the bird being most numerous in the western portion of this 

 vast area. A large number have been met with in England. In 

 northern Germany, however, it is only a straggler; and a few 

 solitary individuals have advanced as far as to Scandinavia. 



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