658 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
The Great Bustard killed on the 1st of February is a female, 
and, by tbe richness of its plumage, I should judge to be an adult 
bird, it weighed exactly 8 lbs., Avhich is rather less than the 
average given for this sex, 9 and 10 lbs. being usual. The weight 
of the male is from 30 to 36 lbs. This example was in good 
condition, and rather fat, both internally and externally. Its 
stomach was large, being distended with the contents, and 
measured 4] inches by 3 inches. It was filled with green food, 
and live flat pieces of flint and pottery, which had been swallowed 
by the bird to act as grindstones, possibly these fragments of 
pottery will assist in giving us a clue as to the particular country 
the stranger came to us from ; Mr. Gurney suggested to me either 
Spain or Germany. The contents of its stomach were packed in 
quite tight, the entire mass weighing 51 ounces, it consisted 
principally of 'Turnip leaves, Trefoil, and three or four different 
kinds of herbs. In referring to my notes on the Little Bustard 
I find the contents of the stomach of that bird were precisely the 
same. On completing the dissection of its internal organs 
I stripped the sternum of its fleshy covering, the keel of which 
presented a great depth, and the flesh of two colours. In utilizing 
the meat for the table I had it simply roasted, no dressings 
whatever with it, I found it simply delicious, full rich flavour, 
reminding me somewhat of a mixture of red grouse and pheasant, 
which I found was exactly my impression when eating a Little 
Bustard, but the meat of the greater bird seemed richer, there was 
certainly more of it. 
The eyes were of a light brown colour, with deep bluish- black 
pupil; upper mandible, brownish horn; lower mandible, pale horn, 
except tip, which was dark horn ; legs, pale greyish brown ; toes, 
shade darker ; claws, dark horn. Total length, beak and tail 
included, 3 1 j inches; wing, from carpal joint to tip, 181 inches; 
full expanse of wings, 5 feet 6 inches ; bill — along ridge of upper 
mandible, 11 inches; from outer edge of nostril to tip, 1 T V inches; 
from gape to tip, 2| inches. 
The colour of its tongue and inside mouth was dirty flesh, eye 
circle greyish brown, the naked skin at gape of a greyish flesh. 
The first primary was 1 inches shorter than the second, the second 
and third were equal in length, and longest in the wing; tail, 
91 inches; tibia, 71 inches; tarsus to sole of foot, 51 inches; 
