BUSTARD. 357 



passing forwards to the breast, as a collar, but not meeting before ; 

 upper part of the body and wings deep blackish brown, crossed with 

 irregular rufous streaks, of different shapes ; the outer edge of the 

 wing black ; above this a large bed of white, occupying almost the 

 whole length of the wing; the secondaries are longer than the prime 

 quills, and hang over them in a state of rest, the last are black ; 

 the tail consists of fourteen feathers at least, in length five inches? 

 the shape rounded, marked not unlike the back, but inclining to 

 ash-colour, and paler at the end ; besides which, all but the two 

 middle feathers are crossed with two bars of black ; the lower part of 

 the feathers, round the lower part of the thighs, white ; legs yellow, 

 claws black. 



The female has the head and neck like the back, but the lines 

 more delicate '. the breast and belly black, as in the male, but the 

 white patch on the ears, and ring at the lower part of the neck, are 

 wanting. 



The white patch on the ears is so conspicuous, as to be charac- 

 teristic, and cannot be taken for a crest, as Buffon* seems to think; 

 indeed, Linnaeus calls the colour of the crown, and upper parts 

 cinereous, omitting to mention any mottlings, yet leaves traces fully 

 sufficient to ascertain, that he means the bird here described. 



These birds inhabit the Cape of Good Hope, and are to be seen 

 in the collections of several gentlemen in this kingdom. Mr. Masson 

 met with them in plenty in his botanical travels, about seventeen days 

 journey from the Cape,f where they are called Korhaen. Kolben 

 calls them Knor-cock, and Knor-hen, and says, that they serve as 

 sentries to the other birds, for as soon as they discover any man, they 

 make a loud noise, like the word crack, repeating it very clamorously, 

 to the frequent disappointment of the sportsman. They frequent 

 heaths, and places remote from habitations, and build their nest in 

 bushes, but never lay above two eggs in a season ; the flesh is of an 



* Cette huppe est sans doute ce que M. Linnffius appelle les Oreilles.— Hist, des 

 Ois. ii. p. 55. 



