LITTLE BUSTAKD 197 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Head, bluish-grey ; just 

 below the base of the lower segment of the beak there is a 

 tuft of long, thin, white bristle-like feathers, which grow 

 downwards on either side of the throat ; l back and scapulars, 

 rich yellowish-buff, barred with black ; wing-coverts, white ; 

 primaries, brownish ; tail, yellowish-brown, barred with 

 black, and edged with white ; breast, banded with rich 

 reddish-brown and grey ; abdomen, white. 



Adult female nuptial. Kesembles the male plumage, 

 but the face-bristles are absent, and the breast is not banded. 



Adult winter, male and female. Resembles the respective 

 nuptial plumages. 



Immature, male and female. Resembles the adult female 

 plumage. 



BEAK. Lead-grey, shading to horn-colour, blackish at 

 the tip. 



FEET. Light brown. 



IRIDES. Dark brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH 43 in. Female often only 30 in. 



WING 24 19 



BEAK 2 



TAKSO-METATAKSUS 6 ,, 



EGG ... 3 x 2'1 in. 



Allied Species and Representative Forms. 0. dybowskii 

 is the true Eastern representative. 



LITTLE BUSTARD. Otis tetrax (Linnaeus). 



Coloured Figures. Gould, ' Birds of Great Britain,' vol. iv, pi. 

 18; Dresser, 'Birds of Europe,' vol vii, pi. 509; Lilford, 

 ' Coloured Figures,' vol. v, pi. 2. 



In the south and east of England and as far north as 

 Yorkshire, there are several occurrences of the Little 



1 The males have a large air-pouch in the throat which is capable 

 of great distention in the mating-season. 



