62 



BUSTARD. 



of a dirty white, spotted and veined with reddish brown and ash-colour; 

 their weight about one dram. 



* These birds are sometimes brought to market, and sold for larks, to 

 which they are little or nothing inferior, but are easily distinguished by 

 the form of the bill, and the tooth-like knob in the roof of the mouth, 

 by the most common observer.* It is observed in small flocks as far 

 north as Zetland in the winter, but returns in the spring. 



* Bechstein informs us that this species is pretty generally spread 

 throughout Europe and the north of Asia, and is common in many 

 parts of Germany, where it frequents the fields, meadows, and high- 

 ways, perching on the topmost branches of willows and other trees in 

 the hedge-rows, or on a mound or knoll, but the latter does not 

 accord with our observations. They are caught in Germany by means 

 of a decoy bird in the autumn, and in winter about the farm-yard, 

 with a lime twig attached to a stick ; in spring they are taken by means 

 of a bird-call.* 



BUNTING CROW.— A name for the Crow. 



BUNTING LARK.— A name for the Bunting. 



BURSA FABRICII. — * A bag or purse of curious structure, 

 which secretes a thick mucus. It is connected with the straight 

 gut (Rectum). * 



BUSTARD (Otis tarda, Linnaeus.) 



*Otis tarda, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 264. I — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 722. sp. 1 Lath. Ind. 



Orn. 2. p. 658. sp. 1 Rati, Syn. p. 58. A. J Wil. p. 129. t. 32 Briss. 5. 



p. 18. 1 L'Outarde, Buff. Ois. 2. p. ]. t. 1 lb. pi. Enl. 245. male 



Outarde barbue, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 506 — Der Grosse Trappe, Bechst, 



Naturg. Deut. 3. p. 1432 Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 308 Frisch, Vog. 



t. 106. female, and No. 106. Supp. the male — Great Bustard, Br. Zool. 1. No. 



98. t. 44. male, bad fig Arct. Zool. 2. No. 186 lb. Supp. p. 63 Will. 



(Ang.) p. 178. t. 32.— Lath. Syn. 4. p. 796 Albin, 3. t. 38, 39 Edw. t. 79, 



80. — Lewin's Br. Birds, 4. t. 139 Mont. Orn. Diet lb. Supp Wale. Syn, 



2. t. 173 Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 6.— Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. t. 314. correct 



fig. of male. — Selby, pi. 64. p. 326.* 



This is the largest of the British birds, sometimes weighing as much 

 as thirty pounds. The bill is dusky ; irides light hazel ; head and neck 

 ash-coloured, inclining to brown on the top of the head ; the lower 

 part of the neck behind almost bare of feathers ; the back and lesser 

 coverts of the wings elegantly barred with black and light rust colour ; 

 greater coverts pale cinereous ; quills black, slightly tipped with white ; 

 belly white ; the tail consists of twenty feathers ; the middle ones are of 

 a light rust colour, barred with black ; the two outer ones almost white ; 

 with two or three small bars of black ; legs dusky brown. 



The female weighs about ten or twelve pounds. The crown of the 

 head is deep orange-brown, crossed with transverse black lines ; the rest 



