8 



Catalogue of the Bb\Is 



[July 



default of insect food, it eats various fruit, grains and seeds, especially the 

 fruit of the Ber {Zizyphus Jvjuba). Several small stones are generally 

 folind in the stomach, and I once found some large fragments of a brass 

 bangle in one. 



The Bustard breeds most generally about ^he end of the monsoon, and 

 subsequent cold weather, the female laying one or two eggs ;it, however, 

 varies much in tlie time of breeding. The egg is of a dark olive colour, 

 with obscure darker blotches. When feeding, it is generally wary and diffi- 

 cult to approach, but during the heat of the day it lies down either in 

 the long grass, or in the shade of some bush, aad is then often approached 

 quite close. It usually takes a long flight when once raised, often several 

 miles, and flies with a continued flapping of its wings, never sailing. 



The Bustnrd has a loud hoarse call, by some compared to a bark or a 

 bellow, this is rarely heard however, except when the bird is alarmed. It 

 has, however, another cry, as I learn from Mr. Elliot's notes, which is pro- 

 bably the call to its mate. I extract Mr. Elliot's note on the subject. 

 " October l2th, killed a large cock bustard. When tirst seen he whs 

 making a curious noise, like a person in pain moaning, which was heard at 

 a considerable distance. I at first thought it proceeded from some one 

 in distress, and rode towards the spot under that impression, until I saw 

 the bustard. He was strutting about on some high ground, expanding 

 his tail, ruffling his wings, and distending his neck and throat, making 

 the feathers stand out like a ruff". I frequently afterwards heard the 

 moaning, always at the same season." 



The gular pouch of the cock bird can contain three ?[uarts of water and 

 more. 



Length of male 4i feet ; wing 30 inch ; tail 13 ; tarsus 8 J ; bill (front) 

 3; expansion of wings nearly 8 feet ; weighs sometimes 25 or 26-lbs. 

 The female is about a third less-and measures about 3|- feet in length. 



282.— O. «?/n7a, Lath., Jard. and Selby, 111. Orn.— 0./mZu«, Sykes.— 

 probably also O. Indica, Auct. — Churz, H. — Tun-mor^ Mahr. — Kun^ 

 noivl, Can.-- Florikin and Black Floinkin. 



It is still a disputed point among naturalists and sportsmen whether 

 the black florikiii be a distinct species from the common one, or not— 

 and the only two writers on Indian Ornithology who have observed the 

 bird in its native haunts, viz. Major Franklin, and Colonel Sykes, have 

 pronounced it to be a distinct species. From the synonyraes I have 

 adopted, it will be seen that I consider them identical, and from my 

 own observations I have concluded that the black florikin is the cock 

 bird, in it=3 summer or breeding plumage onhj^ Colonel Sykes having 



