BUS 
BUS 
wings. The eyes are large, and of a bright lucid 
green, with a few black fpecks. 
Other authors mention the black tabanus varie- 
gated with yellow, and having brown legs; the 
blown tabanus, v/ith iron-grey fides, and three 
brown ftreaks over the eyes ; the grey t^ibanus, with 
a tranfverfe line over die eyes ; the brown tabanus, 
with grey wings variegated withfmall white fpots, 
green eyes, and four brown lines running acrofs 
them ; the long-bodied tabanus ; the tabanus with 
a fnort body and tranfparent wings; and the black 
tabanus v/ith tranfpai'ent wings. 
BURROUGH DUCK. A common Englifh 
appellation for the tadorna. 
BUSELAPHUS. An animal of the goat- 
kind, called alfo mofchelaphus. It is of an inter- 
mediate fhape between the ftag and the ox kind. 
The head and ears are long ; the legs and feet are 
fmall ; the tail is about a foot long, and fhaped like 
that of a heifer; the hair of the whole body is of 
a tawney, or reddifh yellow colour; and the horns 
are black, fmooth at the tops, but rounded in every 
other part. It is extremely tame, docile, gentle, 
fond of play, and fwift of foot; and, except in fize, 
refembles the common antelope. 
BUSTARD, OTIS. A large bird which, 
in the Linn^an lyftem, m'akes a diftinft genus of 
birds of the order of gralla;; the diftinguifhing cha- 
rafters of which are, that the feet have only three 
toes each, and thofe all placed before; that the 
upper mandible of the bill is arched ; that the nof- 
trils are ovated; and that the tongue is bifid. 
The Buftard is the largeft land-bird that is a 
native of Britain. It is much larger than the tur- 
key ; the male, at a medium, weighing twenty-five 
pounds. It's breadth is about nine feet, and it's 
length almoft four. The male has a tuft of fea- 
thers, about five inches long, on each fide of the 
lower mandible; the head and neck are cinereous; 
the back is barred tranfverfely with black, bright, 
and ruft-colour; the greater quill-feathers are 
black; the belly is white; the tail, which confifts 
of twenty feathers, is marked with broad bars of 
red and black; and the legs are of a duflcy colour. 
The female is about half the fize of the male. 
The crown of the head is of a deep orange colour, 
traverfed with black lines, and the reft of it is 
brown. The lov/er part of the neck before is afii- 
coloured; but, in other refpeds, it refembles the 
male, except that the colours of the back and wings 
are brighteft. 
This bird was once more numerous than it is at 
prelent; but the increafed cultivation of the coun- 
try, and the extreme delicacy of it's flefh, have 
greatly thinned the fpecies. Indeed, it would 
probably have been long fince exterminated, but 
for it's peculiar manner of feeding. Had it con- 
tinued to feek fl:ielter among our woods, it muft 
have been deftroyed in proportion as they were cut 
down; if in the foreft, the fowler might have ap- 
proached it unobferved; and the bird, from it's 
magnitude, would have afforded fuch an excellent 
mark, that it could not eafily have been mifiTcd. 
But the Buftard now inhabits only the open and 
extenfive plains; wliere it is plentifully fupplied 
with food, and where every invader of it's repofe 
may be feen at a confiderable diftance. 
Thefe birds are frequendy feen in flocks of more 
than fifty, on the extenfive downs of Salift^ury 
Plain; on Newmarket and Royfton heaths, in 
Cambridgefhire ; die Dorfet uplands ; and even as 
far north as March, or Lothian, in Scotland. 
In thofe diftufiye plains where there are neith.?r 
woods nor hedges to fcreen the fportfrian, the Buf- 
tards enjoy a kind of indolent fecurity. Their 
food is compofed of the berries which grow among 
the heath ; and of large earth-worms, which appear 
in great num.bers on the downs before tlie rifmg of 
the fun during the milder months of the year. 
Thus fituated, in vain does the fowler creep for- 
ward, in order to approach tliem; they have al- 
ways centinels placed on proper eminences, which 
are incefi^antly on the watch, and warn the flock 
of the fmalleft appearance of danger. However, 
it fometimes happens that, though thefe birds can- 
not be reached by guns, they are run dov/n by 
greyhounds. As they are voracious and greedy, 
they often facrifice their fafety to their appetites; 
and, being generally very fat, they are unable to 
fly without much preparation. When the grey- 
hounds therefore come within a certain diftance, 
the Buftards run off", flap their wings, and endea- 
vour to gather air enough under them to rife : in 
the mean time, the hounds are continually gaining 
ground; and, at laft, it is too late for the birds to 
think of obtaining fafety by flight. Flowever, they 
run very faft; and, when on the wing, can fly feve- 
ral miles without refting. 
As there are but few places where Buftards can 
at once find proper food and fecurity, they gene- 
rally continue near their old haunts, feldom wan- 
dering above twenty or thirty miles from home. 
As their food is replete with moifture, it enables 
them to live on thofe parched plains where there 
are fcarcely any iprings of water. But, as a fecu- 
rity againft drought, Nature has furniftied the 
males with a pouch, the entrance of which lies im- 
mediately under the tongue, and which will con- 
tain near feven quarts of water; and this they fill,, 
probably in order either to fupply the hen when 
fitting, or the young till they are capable of fly- 
Like all other birds of the poultry kind, Buf- 
tards change their mates at the feafon of incuba-. 
tion, which is about the latter end of fummer. If 
the number of males and females is equal, they fe- 
parate in pairs; but, fliould the males be moft nu- ■ 
merous, they fight till reduced to an equality. 
They build their nefts on the ground, by fcraping 
holes in the earth; and fometimes line them with 
a little ftraw or grafs. They lay only two eggs, 
which are about the fize of thofe of a goofe, and of 
a pale olive-brown, with dirk-coloured fpots. 
They are about five weeks in hatching; and the 
young ones run about the moment they are eman- 
cipated from their fliells. 
Buftards generally live about fifteen years; but 
they cannot be propagated in a domeftic ftate, as 
it is impofllble to fupply them with a fufficiency 
of that food in which they principally delight. 
They afiTemble in flocks in the month of 0£lober, 
and keep together till April. In winter, as their 
foodbecom.es more fcarce, they fupport themfelves 
indifcrimiinately by feeding on moles, mice, and 
even little birds, when they can feize them. For. 
want of other food, they likewife are contented to 
live on turnip-leaves, and other fucculent vege- 
tables. In fome parts of Switzerland, they arc 
found frozen in the fields in fevere weather; but, 
wiren removed to a warm fituation, they generally 
recover. 
Bustard, Arabian. This bird is about the 
fize of a turkey; but has a longer neck and legs, as 
v/eli as a more ftender body, than the common Buf- 
tard. 
