Birds. 4015 



dropped into the pump piece by piece, and allowed to mingle together; but as they 

 approached the nest they were gradually more firmly arranged, and at length much 

 interwoven, so as to form a firm resting-place for the nest itself. There was nothing 

 whatever in the pump to which they could be attached, but the bore was rather roughly 

 executed ; and this circumstance, together with the elasticity of the roots employed, 

 appear to have been all that the birds relied on for the support of their nest and young 

 ones. The whole structure must have occupied nearly 3 feet of the bore, as a hooked 

 walking-stick was necessary to reach and extract the mass of roots. The strangest 

 part of the affair is, that at every stroke of the pump, which is in constant use for house- 

 hold purposes, the rod passes up and down by the side of the nest, and being a com- 

 mon single action, it oscillates towards the centre of the nest fully an inch at each 

 stroke, so that it must have materially disturbed the birds during the period of incu- 

 bation. They were very bold, and would freely enter the pump in the presence of any 

 member of the family. The spot is retired, and much shaded by yew-trees and other 

 foliage. — Geo. Fitt ; Ipswich Road, Norwich, July, 1853. 



" On the Habits and Structure of the Great Bustard, (Otis tarda, Lin.) " — A pa- 

 per by Mr. Yarrell, bearing the above title, was read before the Linnean Society on 

 the 18th of January, 1853, of w r hich the following is an abstract: — " The particulars 

 relating to the habits of the bustard are derived from the communications of several 

 friends, who have had opportunities of observing it both in England and elsewhere. 

 The first notice is from C. A. Nicholson, Esq., of Balrath Kells, in the county of Meath, 

 and furnishes remarks on the habits of the bird as observed by him in the neighbour- 

 hood of Seville, where it appears to be extremely abundant, the males beginning to 

 arrive in the cultivated country at the beginning of February, in flocks varying (ac- 

 cording to Mr. Nicholson's observations) from seven to fifty-three ; the old birds always 

 associating together, and those of a year old, which are much smaller, never mixing 

 with them : the young birds have neither beard nor pouch. The females do not ar- 

 rive till the beginning of April, and come singly, or at most in pairs ; the flocks of 

 males then break up, and are met with in parties of three or four, or even singly, spread- 

 ing their tails on a fine day like turkey-cocks, drooping their wings and expanding their 

 pouches. The sexes appear to live quite separate. In May, the cocks entirely disap- 

 pear from the cultivated lands, retiring to the extensive grass marshes on the banks 

 of the Guadalquivir, and leaving the hens behind them. The young are hatched in 

 the corn-plains about Seville, and are able to take care of themselves when the corn is 

 cut in July, after which the young birds and hens follow the cocks to the marshes. 

 The birds are very difficult to shoot : the heaviest shot by Mr. Nicholson weighed 28 

 flbs. ; and the largest measured 7 feet 3 inches from tip to tip of wing. Those of a 

 year old weigh from 8 to 10 fbs., and are much the best eating. Their stomachs were 

 found crammed with barley, both leaves and ears, with the leaves of a large-leaved 

 green weed, and with a kind of beetle. When flushed, they generally fly for two or 

 more miles, and sometimes at least 100 yards high. They never try to run, and Mr. 

 Nicholson cannot imagine greyhounds being able to catch bustards, as they are re- 

 ported to have done. Mr. John Wolley, jun., states that he had never seen the great 

 bustard, or received its eggs, from the neighbourhood of Tangier. While ascending 

 the Guadalquivir, about the month of September, he saw several flocks of four or five 

 birds each, on the level plains which extend along the banks of that river, walking ap- 

 parently in file, some with their heads down. They did not appear to be timid, or very 

 cautious ; but once, as the boat came suddenly round a corner, several of them rose 



