The Great Bustard 255 
Wear clothes suited, more or less, to environment—greenish, 
we suggest, for choice—but remember that immobility is tenfold 
more important than colour. A pure white object that is 
quiescent is overlooked, where a clod of turf that moves attracts 
instant attention. 
In spring, when bustards gorge on green food, gralloch your 
victims at once, otherwise the half-digested mass in the crop 
quickly decomposes and destroys the meat. 
Here is an example of an error in judgment that practically 
amounted to a blunder. Before our well-concealed line stood a 
grand pack, between thirty and forty bustard beautifully “ horse- 
shoed,” and quite unconscious thereof. Momentarily we expected 
their entry—right in our faces! At that critical moment there 
appeared, wide on the right flank and actually behind us, three 
huge old barbones directing a course that would bring them 
along close in rear of our line. No. 4 gun, on extreme right, 
properly allowed this trio to pass; not so No. 3. But the 
culprit, on rising to fire, had the chagrin to realise (too late) his 
error. The whole superb army-corps in front were at that very 
moment sweeping forward direct on the centre of our line! In 
an instant they took it in, swerved majestically to the left, and 
escaped scot-free. That No. 3 had secured a right-and-left at the 
adventitious trio in no sort of way exculpated his mistake. 
