GRALL.n;. '-^y^ 



the ground in searclA of worms, [to obttiiu wliicli tlicy have the haljjt of patting with the feet, 

 wliieh causes the worms to rise] : those species in which it is more feeble fre(iuent meadows 

 and ne\vly-i)h)uglied land, where this food can he procured with greater ease : those \i'hich 

 have stronger bills, subsist additionally on grain, herbage, &c. 



The Bustards [Otis, Lin.) — 

 With the heavy port of the Poultry, combine rather a long neck and legs, together with a moderately 

 stout bill, the superior mandible of which is sliglitly arcuated and vaulted ; and tliey also further 

 approximate the GalUnaceoi by the very small membrane at the base of their toes: liut the nudily of 

 the lower- portion of the tibia, their whole anatomy, and even the flavour of their fle^li, concur to 

 place them in the- present order, in common with various members of which they also want the 

 back-toe, and the smaller species are nearly alhed to the Plovers. They have reticulated tarsi, and 

 short wings; fly little, hardly ever using their wings, except to assist them in running, the same as 

 the Ostriches ; and feed equally on grain, herbage, and worms and insects. [The stomach is very capa- 

 cious, and extremely atten-iated, contrasting remaidcably with the muscular gizzard of the true Plovers ; 

 their plumage is moulted twice in the year, the males of most of them developing accessory ornamental 

 feathers, or black under-parts, in the spring ; and their flight, when they do fairly rise, is easy and 

 winnowing, and capable of considerable protraction. The species arc numerous, and confined tr> the 

 Eastern Continent. 



The two first, one inili^^onous, the otlicr an occasional visitant, in the British Isles, possess a comparatively 

 stout beak, wliich is compressed laterally.] 



The Great Bustard {0. tarda, Lin.). — Briplit buff-coloured plumag;e on the upper-parts, crossed ivith numerous 

 black lines ; elsewhere greyish-white. The male, which is the largest of European birds, has [in its summer dress] 

 leuL^thened ear-coverts, which form a sort of large moustache on each side. This species, which is one of the 

 finest kinds of t^ame, frequents extensive plains, and nestles on the ground aniong-st the corn. [It is polyi^amous, 

 arid the female is much smaller than the male ; the latter being further distinguished by a very capacious mem- 

 branous sac beneath the tongue. The voice of the male is a remarkable explosive sound. This bird lays only two 

 egg's, of a dark greenish colour, with some black patches: the young, when first hatched, are very like young 

 Plovers. It has been nearly extirpated in Great Britain.] 



Tlie Little Bustard (O. ietrax, Lin.).— Less than half the size of the last species, and mucli less widely difl'used ; 

 of a brown colour, speckled with black above, whitish underneath. The male with a black neck, [in summer plu- 

 mage only,] and two white collars. [In this species, the sexes scarcely differ in size, from which we should infer 

 that it is monogamous. It lays four or five spotless green eggs in corn-fields, and is also highly esteemed fur 

 the table.] 



The greater number of exotic species have the bill more slender, [and depressed instead of compressed]. Among 

 them we may remark 



The Ruffed Bustard {0. kouhara, Desm.), of Africa and Arabia, [and rarely Spain, the male of] which is adorned 

 with lengthened feathers on the sides of the neck. [Another species with this character exists in central Asia.] 



The Plovers {C/iaradrius, Lin.) — 

 Likewise want the hind-toe, and have a middle-sized bill, compressed, but swohi towards the tip. They 

 may be divided into two subgenera. 



The Thick-knees {(Edicnemus, Tem.), — 

 Wherein the tip of the bill is inflated above as well as beneath, and the groove of tlie nostrils extends 

 only half the length of the beak. Tliey are the largest of the Plover group, and live by preference 

 npon arid and stony districts, feeding on slugs, insects, &c. They are alhed to the smaller species of 

 Lustards [in their exterior conformation, but not in the structure of the stomach, which is a muscular 

 gizzard : their plumage also is moulted once only in the year, and they undergo no seasonal change of 

 colour]. Their legs are reticulated, and they have a short membrane at the base of their three toes. 



The European Thick-knee {Ch. cedicncmta-, Lin. ; CEd. crepitans, Tern.).— Size of [larger than] a "Woodcock, 

 and fulvous-grey, with a bro-\ni streak along the middle of each feather ; the belly white, and a brown space under 

 the eye. [Tliis is the Stone Curlew, WInsiling or Norfolk Plover, as it is variously designated, which is common in 

 several districts of South Britain, and well known wherever it occurs from its sonorous whistling. It lays but 

 two e-^-^s, which however do not resemble those of the Bustards, and taper at one end ; the smaller Bustards {as 

 \<e have seen) produce a greater number. The Thick-knees are for the most part migratory, but some regularly 

 sttiv t!ie winter. We have reason to believe that it rears more than one brood in a season. There are several 

 exotic species, some considerably larger and much stouter]. 



