GRALLJC. 
235 
; the ground in search of worms, [to obtain which they have the habit of patting with the feet, 
which causes the worms to rise] : those species in which it is more feeble frequent meadows 
and newly-ploughed land, where this food can be procured with greater ease ; those which 
I have stronger bills, subsist additionally on grain, herbage, &c. 
i The Bustards {Otis, Lin.) — 
I With the heavy port of the Poultry, combine rather a long neck and legs, together with a moderately 
I stout bill, the superior mandible of which is slightly arcuated and vaulted ; and they also further 
! approximate the GaUinacea by the very small membrane at the base of their toes : but the nudity of 
1 the lower- portion of the tibia, their whole anatomy, and even the flavour of their flesh, concur to 
: place them in the. present order, in common with various members of which they also want the 
I back-toe, and the smaller species are nearly allied to the Plovers. They have reticulated tarsi, and 
1 short wings ; fly little, hardly ever using their wings, except to assist them in running, the same as 
the Ostriches ; and feed equally on grain, herbage, and worms and insects. [The stomach is very capa- 
cious, and extremely attenuated, contrasting remarkably with the muscular gizzard of the true Plovers ; 
their plumage is moulted twice in the year, the males of most of them developing accessory ornamental 
! feathers, or black under-parts, in the spring ; and their flight, when they do fairly rise, is easy and 
winnowing, and capable of considerable protraction. The species are numerous, and confined to the 
' Eastern Continent. 
ji The two first, one indigenous, the other an occasional visitant, in the British Isles, possess a comparatively 
;! stout beak, which is compressed laterally.] 
The Great Bustard (0. tarda, Lin.). — Bright buflf-coloured plumage on the upper-parts, crossed with numerous 
' black lines ; elsewhere greyish-white. The male, which is the largest of European birds, has [in its summer dress] 
|! lengthened ear-coverts, which form a sort of large moustache on each side. This species, which is one of the 
[ finest kinds of game, frequents extensive plains, and nestles on the ground amongst the corn. [It is polygamous, 
I and the female is much smaller than the male ; the latter being further distinguished by a very capacious mem- 
' branous sac beneath the tongue. The voice of the male is a remarkable explosive sound. This bird lays only two 
I eggs, of a dark greenish colour, with some black patches : the young, when first hatched, are very like young 
I Plovers. It has been nearly extirpated in Great Britain.] 
I The Little Bustard (O. tetrasc, Lin.). — Less than half the size of the last species, and much less widely dift’used ; 
! of a brown colour, speckled with black above, whitish underneath. The male with a black neck, [in summer plu- 
mage only,] and two white collars. [In this species, the sexes scarcely differ in size, from which we should infer 
; that it is monogamous. It lays four or five spotless green eggs in corn-fields, and is also highly esteemed for 
[' the table.] 
The greater number of exotic species have the bill more slender, [and depressed instead of compressed]. Among 
them we may remark 
,■ Tlie Ruffed Bustard (0. houhara, Desm.), of Africa and Arabia, [and rarely Spain, the male of] which is adorned 
: with lengthened feathers on the sides of the neck. [Another species with this character exists in central Asia.] 
;| The Plovers {Charadrius, Lin.) — 
Likewise want the hind-toe, and have a middle-sized bill, compressed, but swoln towards the tip. They 
: may be divided into two subgenera. 
The Thick-knees {(Edicnemus, Tern.), — 
Wherein the tip of the bill is inflated above as well as beneath, and the groove of the nostrils extends 
I only half the length of the beak. They are the largest of the Plover group, and live by preference 
li upon arid and stony districts, feeding on slugs, insects, &c. They are allied to the smaller species of 
! Bustards [in their exterior conformation, but not in the structure of the stomach, which is a muscular 
[ gizzard : their plumage also is moulted once only in the year, and they undergo no seasonal change of 
colour]. Their legs are reticulated, and they have a short membrane at the base of their three toes. 
j The European Thick-knee {Ch. cedicnemus, Lin. ; Oid. crepitans. Tern.). — Size of [larger than] a Woodcock, 
and fulvous-grey, with a brown streak along the middle of each feather ; the belly white, and a brown space under 
the eye. [This is the Stone Curlew, Whistling or Norfolh Plover, as it is variously designated, which is common in 
several districts of South Britain, and w'ell known wherever it occurs from its sonorous whistling. It lays but 
two eggs, which however do not resemble those of the Bustards, and taper at one end ; the smaller Bustards (as 
we have seen) produce a greater number. The Thick- knees are for the most part migratory, but some regularly 
’ stay the winter. We have reason to believe that it rears more than one brood in a season. There are several 
exotic species, some considerably larger and much stouter]. 
j 
