of the Male Bustard. 145 



contained fourteen ounces of water, though my Tartar says he 

 has seen them during the bi-eeding-season more than twice as 

 large. A knowledge of the habits of these birds as observed in 

 a state of nature may perhaps lead us to some conclusion as to 

 the use of this appendage. 



Just before the breeding-season the male Bustards may be 

 seen fighting furiously together for the possession of the females, 

 running at each other with their heads down, their necks (at this 

 time enormously inflated) stretched out, and making a peculiar 

 noise or cry resembling '^ook" in sound. Again, while the 

 female is sitting, the male struts about, occasionally uttering the 

 same cry, at a distance of 100 or 150 feet, with his neck swollen, 

 wings half-expanded and drooping, while the tail-feathers are 

 reversed in a curious manner till they almost touch his back. 

 If caught at this time (as is very commonly done by the Tartars, 

 who set up a very ingenious decoy of a female, surrounded by 

 traps), he becomes very violent when approached, and makes the 

 same peculiar note. For about the period of two months, that 

 is from the time of choosing the females till the young are 

 hatched, he appears to be able to indulge in this cry, after which 

 the sound is never heard, in whatever month he may be caught. 

 All these facts would certainly seem to favour the idea that the 

 pouch is intended to contain air, and that by the action of the 

 muscular tissue covering it conjointly with that of the sphincter 

 at the mouth, the Bustard may be thereby assisted, according to 

 the not improbable opinion of my Tartar, in producing this 

 peculiar sound, which is only to be heard during the time when 

 the pouch is most fully developed. I may say, in conclusion, 

 that my Tartar and his father have caught probably a thousand 

 Bustards here and in the Crimea ; but in no instance has water 

 been ejected upon them when going up to secure the birds, 

 which must surely have happened once or twice if the pouch 

 was intended to contain water, and could be used for the pur- 

 pose of defence, as mentioned by the informant of Daines Bar- 

 rington. 



Kustendjie, Bulgaria, January 23, 1865. 



*** We have much pleasure in thus being able to lay before 

 our readers Dr. Cullen^s interesting account of his re-discovery 



