THE KORI AND GREAT BUSTARD 199 



beautiful birds (some of the feathers are used in the tying 

 of salmon and trout flies) harmonises wonderfully with the 

 coloration of their natural habitat. Indeed, Dame Nature 

 is just as happy in her choice of plumage for the bustard 

 as she is in that of the woodcock, the grouse family, the 

 fern-owl, or the \M:yneck. Big though the paauw is, it 

 would be possible for a man to stumble right on to one of 

 those huge birds — providing, of course, the bird was fool 

 enough to allow such liberty being taken with it — without 

 noticing it amongst the dead grasses and other herbage 

 of the veld or plains. 



The kori or ghaum paauw is easily distinguished from 

 the European bustard by the greater length of its beak 

 and legs, while its head is surmounted by a crest. This 

 grand bird derives its Dutch name of ghatmi paauw from 

 its habit of feeding upon the gum of a species of mimosa. 

 It is also particularly fond of locusts and other insects, 

 and when other food is scarce it will devour lizards and 

 other small reptiles. Water appears to be quite a 

 secondary consideration with the bustard family — indeed, 

 it is questionable whether or not it is necessary for these 

 birds to drink at all. 



The bustard undergoes a full moult in autumn, and 

 (in common with the rest of the genus) not infrequently 

 a partial one in spring. The male kori is exceedingly 

 pugnacious during the breeding season, and has been 

 known to attack not only dogs, but also human beings. 



When flushed bustards will usually fly a mile or even a 

 couple of miles before settling again, and gradually 

 mounting higher and higher in their flight wdth powerful 

 and even wing-beats they often attain an altitude of over 

 100 yards. 



