THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 43 



by accident. We w^ere driving rather quickly across the steppe. 

 anxious to reach Kalarath before dark, when suddenly a female 

 Little Bustard rose within ten feet of the wagon and was speedilj- 

 dropped by our Jager, who was sitting gun in hand by the driver. 

 We jumped out of the carriage, and in a quarter of a minute found 

 the nest, containing four eggs. The hollow was deeper than that 

 of the nest of the Great Bustard, and there was a distinct nest of 

 dry grass and weeds, though very slight ; it was about seven inches 

 across and well concealed by tufts of a kind of lucerne." 



Mr. M. M. L. Currie has sent me the following interesting note 

 upon the occurrence of the Lesser Bustard in Ludhiana : — 

 " Bustard, i. e., the Lesser Bustard or Obara, commonly called 

 ' Tilur ' in the Punjab was pretty common in the Dhera Ghazi 

 Khan where I shot a certain number in the cold weather of 

 1908-09. They were most common in the dry tract at the foot of 

 the Sulimans where they seemed to be especially fond of lying up 

 on a kind of short coarse grass locally known as ' Ghamn.' Later 

 in the year they haunt the fields sown with oil-seeds (faramira). 

 I have also occasionally seen them down on the low lands near the 

 Indus. The usual number seen together was three or four, but 

 once or twice I have seen as many as a dozen together. The 

 method of shooting most often employed is with camels. The 

 sportsman dismounts and taking cover behind the camel continues 

 to approach in circles till within range when he advances towards 

 the spot where the bird is lying till he puts it up. 



" The best bag I ever saw made in this manner was by a com- 

 panion of mine who got six birds one day whilst I, not so 

 fortunate, shot but one. It is said to be possible at times to walk 

 them up in the oil-seeds, but I never did so with any success." 



The Lesser Bustard is capable of straight, strong flight but often 

 indulges in most curious vagaries when on the wing, rising to a 

 great height and then twisting and twirling about in an indefinite 

 kind of manner until it makes up its mind to go straight awaj^. 

 Some of my correspondents, however, who have met with this bird 

 principally in grain and mustard fields, which offer good cover, 

 describe it as lying very close, easy to walk up and easy to kill 

 when once flushed. They describe the flight as being much like 



