THE BUSTARDS. 1 15 



THE BUSTARDS AND PLOVERS. 



ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES. 



In this Order are found the Plovers, Sheath-bills (Chionis\ 

 Seed-Snipes (Attagis), Jacanas (Parr<z\ Bustards, and Thick- 

 knees. The palate is throughout schizognathous, but the nos- 

 trils differ, being mostly schizorhinal, except in a few forms, 

 where they are holorhinal. Next in order to the Cranes come 

 the Bustards and the Thick-knees, the latter being Bustard-like 

 Plovers, and forming the connecting link with the True Plovers. 



THE BUSTARDS. SUB-ORDER OTIDES. 



Besides the schizognathous palate, which is found in the 

 whole Order Charadriiformes^ the Bustards differ from the 

 bulk of the Plover-like birds in having holorhinal nostrils. 

 The dorsal vertebras are heterocselous, and there are other 

 osteological characters which are detailed in various works on 

 the classification of birds, but on these I need not dilate 

 further, as they are not necessary to an understanding of 

 what a Bustard is. In form, in plumage, and in external 

 character the birds are so peculiar as to be easily recognisable, 

 if, indeed, anyone is so fortunate as to shoot a Bustard in 

 the present day, for the Great Bustard has become extinct with 

 us, and the other two species on the British List, the Little 

 Bustard and Macqueen's Bustard, are only rare visitants. 



The Bustards are birds of the Old World only, and are dis- 

 tributed over the whole of it in localities suited to their habits. 

 They do not extend, however, very far to the north. Some 

 dozen genera are admitted by zoologists, and of these three 

 find place among our British birds. 



THE TRUE BUSTARDS. GENUS OTIS. 



Of is, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 264 (1766). 



Type, O. tarda, Linn. 



In former times there were probably many more species 

 of Bustards in Europe than exist at the present moment, for 

 remains of an extinct species have been described by Mr. 



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