360 BUSTARD. 



7.— BLUE-NECKED BUSTARD. 



BILL pale brown, crown of the head black ; nape blue, and 

 beneath this again black; sides of the head rufous white ; over the ears 

 pale rufous ; chin black, diverging a little on each jaw ; below this 

 the fore part of the neck to the breast is pale blue ; from thence to 

 the vent white; the hind part of the neck is pale ferruginous brown; 

 sides between that and the blue in front, pale ferruginous; back and 

 wing coverts most beautifully spotted with ferruginous, white, and 

 brown, in spots, transverse lines, and minute dottings ; the second 

 quills more blotched, and the markings larger than the wing coverts; 

 tail as the second quills; greater quills black ; wings and tail nearly 

 even ; legs yellow, claws black. 



Another of these differed, in having a greater proportion of black 

 about the head, chin, and throat ; but the sides of the head as in 

 the other white ; the markings on the back mottled, and dotted much 

 in the same manner, but less variegated and beautiful, all the neck, 

 breast, and beneath blue, but deeper coloured than in the other ; 

 bill and legs the same. 



I found these two birds among the drawings of Mr. Dent, most 

 beautifully executed ; and suppose them to be the two sexes of this 

 species, which has not before been under our observation. This 

 may possibly be the Wild Pauw, or Wild Peacock, of Barrow's 

 Travels,* which, he says, is as large as the Norfolk Bustard, being 

 three feet and a half in length, and extent of wing seven feet; that 

 the feathers of the neck are long, very thick and loose, like those of 

 a Domestic Fowl, colour light chestnut on the upper parts, and ash- 

 coloured blue under the throat, and on the breast; back beautifully 

 undulated with black and brown lines; belly white ; tail feathers 

 from sixteen to twenty, marked with alternate bars of black and 



white. 



* P. 139. 



