456 



BUSTARDS, THIC KNEES, AND CRANES. 



species measures from 45 to 50 inches in the male, of which the general weight is 

 from 17 to 22 lbs. 



Of the numerous African representatives of the genus, one of the best known 

 is the Arabian bustard {E. arabs) of Abyssinia, in which the iris is pale brown, 

 with dark radiating streaks, the beak is dusky above, and dirty white below, 

 while the legs are yellowish. The finest of all is, however, the South African kori 

 bustard (E. kori), — the ghaum-pauiv of the Boers, — which attains a size and 

 weight considerably exceeding that of its Oriental cousin. This bird derives its 

 Dutch name from its habit of feeding on the gum of a species of mimosa, although 



ARABIAN BUSTARD. 



it is likewise very partial to grasshoppers ; and it differs from many of if « allies 

 in being voiceless. Messrs Eglington and Nicholls write that, when f» ,^ing on 

 the open plains, the kori is a very " difficult bird to approach sufficiently near for 

 the range of a shot-gun ; and the best plan to adopt under such circumstances, if on 

 horseback, is to ride slowly round at a distance of a couple of hundred yards from 

 the bird and gradually narrow the circle. If this tactic is adopted it will, like 

 most others of the bustard tribe, often lie down as if to escape notice, and thus a 

 shot may be obtained, although not without the expenditure of time and trouble." 

 Mr, Hume believes that the Indian bustard lays only a single egg ; the two eggs 

 which are not unfrequently found on the ground at a distance of a yard or so apart 

 probably belonging to different birds. 



