THE LITTLE BUSTARD. 



dusky horny or brown, generally paler on culmen, and bluish 

 grey, greenish or yellowish at the base, and the irides vary from 

 light yellow to orange. 



The Plate is an excellent one of the bird in winter 

 plumage, in which, so far as I know, we alone obtain it ; but 

 I ought to mention that the male in summer assumes a very 

 different appearance, having then the sides of the head and the 

 throat to the length of two inches greyish blue, with an inferior 

 black margin, succeeded by a narrow ring of white, that colour 

 extending more than an inch downwards in front in a pointed 

 form. The middle of the neck, all round, for the length of two 

 inches and a half is deep black, that colour being succeeded 

 below by a half collar of white and another of black. 



I must add, that in many of my specimens the black mark- 

 ings on the upper surface are more predominant than is depicted 

 in the plate, giving the bird altogether a darker appearance ; as 

 also that occasionally the whole lower surface has a more or 

 less buffy tinge. 



