398 



19th September, 1861, near Helsingfors. This specimen is now in the University Museum in 

 that city. Mr. L. Taczanowski writes to me that an adult male was taken alive in December 

 1860, in the district of Ilza, Government of Eadom, in Poland, and is now in the Warsaw 

 Museum. There is a second male in the same collection, stated to have been obtained in 

 Siberia ; and this, Mr. Taczanowski informs me, is the specimen figured by Naumann under the 

 name of Otis houbara. 



It appears almost certain that the various occurrences in Germany recorded as of the 

 Houbara Bustard really refer to the present species. Naumann states that one was obtained 

 early in November 1800, at Cottwitz, near Breslau, in Silesia, a second was shot in Baden, and a 

 third at Frankfort-on-the-Main. Tobias states (J. f. O. 1853, p. 213) that it has once occurred 

 in Oberlausitz, and that the specimen in question was sent to Golz's Museum in Dresden ; and 

 Herr von Gravenitz possesses a beautiful male, which he says (J. f. O. 1862, p. 457) was shot by 

 a peasant near Doberan, in November 1847. According to Mechlenburg (J. f. O. 1857, p. 292) 

 an old female was shot out of a flock of six on the 12th November near Flensburg, in Schleswig, 

 and came into his possession. Mr. C. F. Dubois, who published some interesting notes and a 

 tolerably accurate figure of the present species (J. f. O. 1856, p. 301, pi. iii.), states that the first 

 specimen obtained in Belgium was shot in September 1842, and came into the possession of the 

 Director of Customs at Virton ; the second, an old male, was obtained by Mr. Desmoor, of Rotselar, 

 about eight miles from Lowen, in December 1844 ; and on the 3rd December, 1845, a third was 

 killed in the district of Dieghem, on the Woluwe plain, about four miles from Brussels. 



As above stated, the true home of this Bustard is in North-west India. Dr. Jerdon writes 

 (B. of India, ii. p. 614) that the present species is " found throughout the plains of the Punjab 

 and Upper Sindh, occasionally crossing the Sutlej and the Indus lower down ; and it has been 

 killed at Ferozepore, Hansi, and in various parts of Hurriana ; but no records exist of its occur- 

 rence eastwards of Delhi. It is probably a permanent resident, as no notice is given of its 

 occurring at any particular season. It frequents open sandy and grassy plains, or undulating 

 sandy ground with scattered tufts of grass, also wheat- and other grain-fields ; and is generally 

 met with in such bare and open ground that, being shy and wary, it is approached with difficulty, 

 except in the heat of the day, when it lies down in a thick tuft or other shelter, and can be 

 approached with ease. Major James Sherwill informed me that it is very abundant across the 

 Indus at Derajet, and towards the frontier of Sindh, and that a Black Hawk which hunts in 

 pairs often kills a wounded bird, and has been seen to strike a sound one." Respecting its 

 occurrence in Sindh, Mr. A. O. Hume says (Stray Feathers, i. p. 227) that, " though scarce 

 compared with what it is in the North-western Punjab, it is very often met with in those barren 

 plains which I have already described, where the Lana and Banee afford it shelter. I never 

 myself saw above a couple of pairs in any one day, and never took the trouble to go after it." 

 According to Mr. W. T. Blanford it is " found throughout Persia, being the only common 

 Bustard of the country. It is only a summer visitant to the plateau, where it breeds, passing 

 the winter in the lowlands of Southern Persia, Baluchistan, and Sindh." Persia appears to be 

 the extreme western part where it occurs regularly; for in Armenia it is replaced by the African 

 species, Olis undulata ; but I must not omit to state that it was met with by Dr. Severtzoff in 

 Turkestan, where, he states, it is found breeding, and also on passage throughout the country. 



