CLASS II. AVES: ORDER 7. GRALLATORES. 



397 



slender form, long wings, and a cer- 

 tain swallow-like appearance. The 

 Collared Pratincole of Europe, 

 G. pratincola — the Sea Partridge 

 of the French — runs and flies with 

 great swiftness, and feeds on aquatic 

 insects, often taking them on the 

 wing ; found in the temperate parts 

 of Europe, Asia, and Africa. 



Genus CURSORIUS : Cursorius. 

 — This includes the Coursers, 

 which are noted as running with 

 great swiftness, and of which there 

 are several species. The Cream- 

 colored Courser, C. Uuropcetis^ is 

 ten and a half inches long, and 

 resembles the plovers in its habits ; 

 ^ found in Middle Europe. It is 

 f^f,'^}^^^ sometimes called the Cream-colored 



Plover. 



THE BUSTARDS. 



THE GREAT BDSTARi). 



Vol. II. — 38 



THE BLACK-BILLED BUSTAUD. 



These birds are generally of large 

 size, and live upon heaths and dry 

 plains, in various parts of the cast- 

 '/ ern hemisphere. They run rapidly 



and fly well, although they rise with 

 difficulty. Their food consists prin- 

 cipally of worms and insects, with a few 

 reptiles, and even small mannnalia, and 

 birds. Green vegetables also appear to 

 constitute a part of their diet. They are 

 said to be polygamous, and the males take 

 no part in incubation, but retreat to marshy 

 places, while the females lay and hatch 

 their eggs among tall herbage, frequently 

 in corn-fields. During the breeding sea- 

 son the males are seen in fine days, dis- 

 playing themselves like turkey-cocks, 

 spreading their tails, drooping their wings, 

 and dilating their throats. 



Genus OTIS : Otis. —This includes the 

 Great Bustard, 0. tarda, forty-five 

 inches long ; pale chestnut, barred with 

 black above ; beneath white. It feeds on 

 green wheat, grapes, trefoil, and other 

 vegetable substances. The nest is a de- 

 pression in the bare ground; the eggs 

 are two, and olive-brown ; the flesh is 

 excellent, and it is often seen in the mar- 

 kets of countries where it is found. It is 

 common in Southern Europe, and was for- 

 merly abundant in some parts of Eng- 

 land, but has become nearly extinct tliere. 

 Macqueen's Bustard, 0. Macqueeni, 



