524 GREAT BUSTARD. 
Bustard is now only an irregular wanderer to Great Britain—excep- 
tionally as far north as the Orkneys; the winter of 1870-71 being 
signalized by the arrival of a considerable number, while a smaller 
migration was noticed in England in the winter of 1879-80 (coin- 
ciding with a visitation in the northern and central provinces of 
France), and another incursion in 1890-91. 
In Denmark, and in the south of Sweden—where this species for- 
merly bred, it is now of only accidental occurrence, and in Russia it is 
seldom found further north than Moscow, though southward it is 
plentiful. It is still resident, except in severe winters, on the plains 
of Germany—especially near Leipzig, and in Poland it is widely 
distributed ; on the steppes of the Danubian and Black Sea districts 
it becomes abundant, and it is also common in suitable portions of 
the Spanish Peninsula but to the rest of Europe it is chiefly a 
visitor. In Morocco, Tunisia, and North Africa generally, it is rare. 
North of the great mountain ranges in Asia, it can be traced to 
Western China, and a flock has been known to wander as far as the 
valley of the Indus ; but in Eastern Siberia, and the greater part of 
China in winter, its representative is the closely-allied O. dybowskit. 
In spring the males fight furiously for the possession of the 
females, but afterwards they live apart in small droves, and towards 
the end of May they moult their quills, remaining for some time 
unable to fly ; otherwise the Bustard is very strong on the wing, and 
the idea that it habitually seeks safety by continued running is a 
popular error. The eggs, laid in a hollow scraped in the ground, 
are 2-3 in number, and are olive-green blotched with brown: 
measurements 3 by 21 in. Incubation, which lasts rather more 
than three weeks, begins in April in Spain, though later in Germany ; 
the young are soon able to run and hide themselves. Green corn, 
peas, clover &c., are the chief articles of diet, but worms, small 
mammals and reptiles are also eaten. Old males sometimes weigh 
upwards of 30 lbs., and their flesh is coarse, but the hens and young 
are excellent for the table. 
The adult male has a tuft of long bristly white feathers at the 
base of the bill on each side; head bluish-grey; upper surface 
chiefly ochreous-yellow barred with black; wings white, except the 
primaries, which are brownish; breast banded with rich chestnut 
and grey; belly white. Length 43 in.; wing 24 in. The female 
has no bristles or pectoral band, and is much smaller; wing 19 in. 
The young resemble the hen. In the adult males of this and some 
other Bustards there is a large sub-lingual air-pouch, which is 
capable of great dilation during the love-season, though at other 
times almost invisible. 
