384 



to the back ; top of the head sandy brown, marked with black ; sides of head and throat plumbeous 

 grey edged with black, this colour extending in a V-shape down almost to the centre of the neck, 

 below this a narrow white collar extending round the neck ; the lower part of the neck all round and 

 fore part of the breast rich glossy black, banded below by another white collar, the feathers at the back 

 of the neck being considerably elongated ; underparts pure white ; tail with the central feathers similar 

 to the back, the outer ones lacking the sandy tinge, and the outermost pure white barred with black ; 

 across the tail are four distinct black bars; under wing- and tail-coverts white; bill hom-coloured, 

 black at the tip, and marked with dirty yellow at the base of the under mandible ; legs ochreous- 

 yellow ; iris reddish brown. Total length 16 inches, culmen O70, wing 9'50, tail 4-50, tarsus 2 - 20. 



Adult Female in May. Back and upper parts much lighter than in the male, the markings being larger, and 

 the back having the appearance of being spotted with sandy brown : crown black, marked with sandy 

 brown, the centre of each feather being of this colour ; sides of the head and neck pale sandy brown, 

 striped with black ; chin dirty white ; underparts white, the breast tinged with ochre, and marked with 

 black ; flanks marked with black spots. 



Obs. A male obtained on the Lower Ural river on the 20th of April differs from the Spanish specimen 

 above described in being much darker on the back, and having the cross bars much more delicate, the 

 black border to the plumbeous grey on the throat being also much broader. 



Adult Male in autumn. Is said by Loche to differ in lacking the white collar, and in having the long black 

 feathers on the back of the neck replaced by dull dark grey. 



Young Male. Closely resembles the female, but has the back marked with the same fine striations as the 

 adult male. 



Obs. We notice that a male bird from Tangiers differs from all our other European specimens in having a 

 decidedly more compressed bill and shorter tarsus, while the markings on the back are coarser than in 

 ordinary examples. 



Though common in Southern Europe, the Little Bustard is only an occasional visitant to the 

 central and northern portions of the continent, but it has occurred as far north as Sweden. 

 In the British Isles, according to Mr. Harting, as many as forty occurrences are on record. 

 Yarrell gives many instances of its capture, and mentions that it has been procured twice or 

 three times in Cornwall, four times in Devonshire, once in Hants, once in Oxfordshire, once in 

 Kent, three times in Yorkshire, several times in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire, once near 

 Birmingham, once near Scarborough, and twice in Northumberland, all these occurrences having 

 taken place during the winter. In Scotland, according to Mr. B. Gray, it has been obtained 

 once near Montrose, in December 1833, once near St. Andrew's, on the 6th of March, 1840, once 

 in Morayshire, on the 8th of February, 1861 ; and a second bird was observed when the last-named 

 specimen was shot, but it was not procured. In Ireland two were recorded by Mr. Thompson as 

 having been seen in County Wicklow on the 23rd of August, 1833, one of which was shot. It 

 has been stated to have occurred in summer plumage ; but, respecting this, our friend Mr. J. H. 

 Gumey, jun., writes to us as follows: — "The Little Bustard occurs in turnip-fields always in 

 winter plumage, and oftener in December than in any other month. I do not for a moment 

 believe that the specimen in summer plumage in the British Museum, mentioned by Stevenson 



