BUSTARD. 353 



deeper colour. The female is said to abandon the eggs, if any one 

 touches them in her absence. The food is chiefly grain, and herbs, 

 but likewise worms, which the bird finds, crawled out of the ground 

 in summer, before sun-set ; mice, frogs, and other reptiles. 



This noble bird appears at present to be almost confined to the 

 Old Continent, extending southward to Greece and Syria ; and to 

 the north, Sweden and Russia. In great plenty in some parts, in 

 others exceedingly scarce, especially in such as are well inhabited, as 

 from timidity, it avoids all commerce with mankind ; and it is well 

 known, that the most despicable cur dog will drive whole herds of 

 them away. In England they have formerly been met with in troops 

 of fifty or more, but are now very rare ; the places where they mostly 

 frequent are the open countries of the south and east parts, from 

 Dorsetshire, as far as the Wolds, in Yorkshire, and on Salisbury 

 Plains, in Wiltshire ; but except upon the latter they are almost 

 extinct, and in Scotland certainly so.* Are very slow in taking- 

 wing, nor do they so with ease ; but run very swiftly, so that few 

 but greyhounds can well overtake them ; and it is said, that these 

 swift coursers have run them down before they could rise from the 

 ground ; of late the eggs are sought after, for the purpose of hatch- 

 ing them under Hens, and half a guinea is said to be no unusual 

 price for an egg, and ten or twelve guineas for a pair of young birds, 

 not full grown, t Are common in some parts of Germany, J and pro- 

 bably migrate from one part to another. This bird is frequent also 

 in all the southern Plains of Russia, and Deserts of Tartary, and is 

 solitary, except at the time of migration, when it unites into small 

 flocks : § with us they can scarcely be said to be migratory, as they 



* Br. Zool. -f Orn. Diet. These were certainly once in sufficient plenty in 



England, as we find them, among other birds, admitted to the table of the Duke of North- 

 umberland, in 1512 ; and again in 1605, being then said to be in season from October to 



May. See Breviate touching the Order, fyc. of a Nobleman's House. Archceol. xiii. p. 



315. & seq. 



+ So common in Hungary, that sometimes 4 or 500 are seen in a flight. — Keysl. Trav. 

 iv. 176. — Kramer. § Decouv. russ. 



VOL. VIII. Z z 



