LITTLE BUSTARD. 429 



The nest is on the ground, among herbage which is suffi- 

 ciently high to hide the bird ; the eggs vary in number, 

 according to different authors, from three to five; the 

 length two inches, the breadth one inch six lines ; the 

 colour, of one in my own collection, uniform olive brown ; 

 but I have seen them slightly clouded with patches of 

 darker brown. 



The food of this species consists of herbs, grain, arid in- 

 sects ; in the specimen killed at Harwich, in my own col- 

 lection, the body of which was examined, the stomach con- 

 tained parts of leaves of the white turnip, lungwort, dan- 

 delion, and a few blades of grass. The flesh had the ap- 

 pearance and flavour of that of a young hen Pheasant. 

 These birds inhabit open countries, and fly with great 

 speed and power. 



The adult male, when in the plumage peculiar to the 

 breeding-season, has the beak brown ; the irides golden 

 yellow; the top of the head pale chestnut mottled with 

 black ; cheeks, ear-coverts, the front and sides of the neck, 

 bluish grey, bounded inferiorly by a border of black passing 

 to the back of the neck ; below this a narrow white ring 

 all round the neck, and below this a broad collar of black, 

 with a gorget of white, and another of black at the bottom 

 of the neck in front ; shoulders, back, scapulars, tertials, 

 and upper tail- coverts, pale chestnut brown, streaked irre- 

 gularly with numerous narrow lines of black ; all the wing- 

 coverts, and the base of the primaries, white, the distal half 

 of the primaries greyish black ; the secondaries patched 

 with black and white ; the base of the tail-feathers white, 

 the ends mottled with black and buffy white, crossed with 

 two narrow bars of black, the extreme tips white ; the 

 breast, and all the under surface of the body, white ; legs, 

 toes, and claws, clay-brown. 



