156 BRITISH BIRDS' EGGS. 



now passes near Stonehenge, that grand and ancient fane of 

 a bygone superstition ! Mr. Hewitson says that he has seen 

 the eggs of this species, which were taken from the wolds 

 of Yorkshire. Occasionally a stray specimen is met with, 

 but seldom escapes speedy destruction. In Spain, and the 

 plains of Greece, in some parts of Eussia, and on the wilds 

 of Tartary, it is said still to be common, and is occasionally 

 seen in Prance. The female is very much smaller than the 

 male bird, which weighs from twenty-five to thirty pounds ; 

 and we should judge, from the specimens in the British 

 Museum, must stand three feet or more in height from the 

 ground. The female of this species makes no nest, but 

 lays two eggs in a slight hollow upon the bare ground. 

 The eggs are of an olive-green tint, softly but extensively 

 marked with delicate grey and greenish-brown. They ex- 

 ceed those of the Turkey in size. (PL XI. fig. 79.) 



THE LITTLE BUSTARD. Otis minor. This is a rare visi- 

 tant of our island, but specimens have from time to time 

 occurred in different parts of England ; and, although but 

 seldom, in Scotland and Ireland likewise. On the European 

 continent it is by no means frequently met with, but is 

 found in northern Africa, and is believed to extend to Asia 

 also. The eggs of this species are deposited in a slight de- 



