THE LITTLE BUSTARD. 77 



accompanies them throughout the period of their migration. 

 This bird is described to be " reddish-brown on the back, cream- 

 coloured elsewhere," and is probably the Squacco heron [Artlea 

 comata) . They never remain longer than one day. Mr. Wilkin- 

 son has been told by friends resident at Alexandria, that the 

 earliest arrival of the quail there is about the 20th of September. 



THE LITTLE BUSTARD. 



Otis tetrax, Linn. 



Has at least once visited this island. 



In the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for 

 1835' (p. 79), I noticed, on the authority of Mr. W. S. Wall, 

 (an intelligent bird-preserver, well acquainted with Bewick's faith- 

 ful portraits of British birds), that a little bustard, sent to him by 

 Mr. Reside to be stuffed, had been shot by that gentleman in the 

 county of Wicklow on the 23rd of August, 1833 : — another was 

 seen at the same time. I subsequently learned from Mr. Haffielcl 

 of Dublin, who was present on the occasion, that they were asso- 

 ciated with golden plover, in the bog of Killough, adjoining 

 Powerscourt demesne, and about five miles from the sea. They 

 proved to be less wary than the plover. The survivor remained 

 for some time about the locality after its companion had been 

 killed. The singularity of its cry was particularly remarked by 

 my informant. 



This species is but an occasional visitant to England, and has 

 occurred only once in Scotland.* 



The Great Bustard, Otis tarda, Linn., was enumerated by 

 Smith (1749) as one of the birds of the county of Cork. It is 

 long since extinct. One is said to have been shot in Scotland in 

 1803 ; in England the species probably still exists. Mr. YarrelFs 

 work contains full particulars respecting it. 



* Jardine. 



