100 THE BOOK OF BIRDS 



of the under parts, white. Very noticeable is the curious 

 tuft of long, white, thin feathers bristling out whisker-like 

 on either side of his beak. The hen bird is far less hand- 

 some, and not so large. 



Here is a little picture of a group of Bustards, seen 

 through field-glasses, one day, by the authors of Wild 

 Spain : " There are four or five and twenty of them, 

 and how immense they look against the background of 

 sprouting corn which covers the landscape ; a stranger 

 might well mistake them for deer or goats. Most of the 

 birds are sitting turkey-fashion, their heads sunk among 

 their feathers ; others stand in drowsy yet half-suspicious 

 attitudes, their broad backs resplendent with those mottled 

 hues of true game-colour, and their lavender necks and 

 well-poised heads contrasting with the snowy whiteness 

 of their lower plumage." 



At first thought, we are apt to wonder how so large 

 a bird can possibly save itself from its enemies, especially 

 man, in the open spaces in which it prefers to live. It 

 must always be such a very conspicuous figure. 



But there are two facts that we have to remember. 

 One is that the open sjaaces it loves are measurable, 

 not by square yards but by square miles (think of 

 Salisbury Plain, by way of example ; and even that 

 expanse is nothing compared with the boundless Steppes 

 of south-eastern EurojDe). And hence the bird, seeing 

 danger approaching, can move freely away, keeping well 

 out of range. 



Another thing is that the Bustard has the short, strong 

 toes and sturdy legs which make the Ostrich such a 

 notable runner. And though it has not that desert bird's 

 length of leg, it can do what the latter cannot do — it can 

 launch itself into the air and fly to a considerable distance. 



