4<52 



INDIAN BUSTARD. 



Otis aurita. Lath. Ind. Orn. <2. 66o. 7- ? 

 Pluvianus bengalensis major. Briss. Orn, 5. 82. 13. 

 La Churge. Bitf. Ois. 2. 56. 

 Passarage Bustard. Lath. Syn, Sup. 228. ? 

 Indian Bustard. Lath. Gen. Syn. 4. 804. 5. — Lath. Syn. Sup^ 

 p. 228. — Edw.pl. 250. 



The male of this species has the head, neck, 

 breast, and under parts of the body, black ; the 

 latter inclining to ash-colour : the back elegantly 

 mottled with reddish brown and black : the wing- 

 coverts white : quills black : beak and legs pale 

 ash-colour. The female has the prevailing colour 

 of the plumage pale ash, clouded and undulated 

 with darker and blackish : head, neck, and belly, 

 plain. 



The Passarage Bustard of Latham appears to be 

 a variety of the old male of this species : it is 

 about the size of the Little Bustard : its length is 

 eighteen inches : beak slender, brown and white : 

 the head, neck, breast, and belly, black : on the 

 ears a large white patch : junction of the neck 

 and back white : the back, wings, and tail, black, 

 reticulated with fine lines of brown : the greater 

 wing-coverts are white : on the hind head are four 

 pairs of capillary feathers, each pair of different 

 lengths, and dilating at their end into a lance- 

 shaped tuft ; the longest four inches, the shortest 

 scarcely larger than the rest of the feathers of 

 that part : the legs are strong, and pale yellow. 



Both these birds inhabit India, and have a great 

 affinity to the White-eared Bustard, but they differ 

 in many respects, particularly in having the wing- 



