450 



WHITE-EARED BUSTARD. 



Otis atra. Linn. Syst. Nat, 1.264. 4. 

 L'Outarde d'Afrique. Buff. Ois, 2. 54. 



White-eared Bustard. Lath. Gen. Syn. 4. 802. pL 69. 4.— 

 Lath. Syn, Sup. 227. 



This rare species is thus described by Latham, 

 who has also given a figure : " Size of a large 

 fowl : length twenty- two inches. The beak yel- 

 low, a trifle bent at the end, where it is black : the 

 crown of the head is blackish brown, irregularly 

 barred with white lines ; on each side of it a white 

 line : on the ears a large spot of white : the rest 

 of the head, with the forehead, neck, and under 

 parts of the body, black : round the lower part of 

 the neck behind a band of white, which passes 

 forwards to the breast like a collar, but does not 

 quite meet before : the upper parts of the body, 

 great part of the wings, and tailj are deep blackish 

 brown, crossed with irregular streaks of different 

 shapes, and of a rufous colour : the outer edges of 

 the wing and quills are black ; above these a large 

 bed of white, occupying almost J:he whole length 

 of the wing : the secondaries are longer than the 

 quills, and hang over and hide them in a state of 

 rest : the tail consists of fourteen feathers, is five 

 inches in length, and a little rounded; all the 

 feathers marked not unlike those of the back, but 

 more inclined to ash-colour, palest at the end; 

 besides which, all but the two middle ones are 

 crossed with two bars of black. The lower part of 

 the feathers round the middle of the thighs are 

 white : the legs are yellow : claws black. The 

 female has the head and neck like the back, but 



