THE BUSTARD loi 



Hence, when pursued, the Bustard has two methods of 

 saving itself to the Ostrich's one. 



Moreover, the wariness of the Bustard almost amounts 

 to a proverb. We often hear it said that rooks know the 

 difference between a harmless stick pointed at them like 

 a gun, and a real gun. But the rook shooter never has 

 to use anything like the cunning devices which foreign 

 sportsmen have to adopt, in order to get within range of 

 this very alert bird. 



One trick is to hide in a hay waggon, with a loophole 

 to see and fire through, and to be slowly driven towards 

 the spot where the flock of Bustards happens to be 

 feeding. Or it may be that the hunter will put on the 

 hat and blouse of a field labourer, pretend to be hoeing or 

 digging, and gradually make his way nearer to the birds. 

 Sometimes he will slouch along behind a drove of cows. 

 Or he may get a pipe made out of the windpipe of an ox, 

 crawl into the long grass, and imitate the call of the hen 

 bird ; it rarely takes much time to bring the mate 

 bustling up to answer that call, if he happens to be 

 within hearing. 



English Bustards were shy and suspicious even in 

 days when they were fairly common here. Gilbert White 

 of Selborne closes one of his delightful letters with these 

 words : "I remark that the golden-crested wren, the 

 smallest British bird, will stand unconcerned till you come 

 within three or four yards of it, while the Bustard, the 

 largest British land-fowl, does not care to admit a person 

 within so many furlongs." 



From this author we learn that in his day (the Natural 

 History of Selborne was published in 1789) there were 

 Bustards on the Brighton downs. But Brighton was 

 then but a little fishing village, and the green downs 



