THE BUSTARDS. 
US 
THE BUSTARDS AND PLOVERS. 
ORDER CHARADRIIFORMES. 
In this Order are found the Plovers, Sheath-bills ( Chtonis), 
Seed-Snipes (Attagis), Jacanas (Parrce), Bustards, and Thick- 
knees. The palate is throughout schizognathous, but the nos- 
trils differ, being mostly schizorhinal, except in a few forms, 
where they are holorhinal. Next in order to the Cranes come 
the Bustards and the Thick-knees, the latter being Bustard-like 
Plovers, and forming the connecting link with the True Plovers. 
THE BUSTARDS. SUB-ORDER OTIDES. 
Besides the schizognathous palate, which is found in the 
whole Order Charadriiformes, the Bustards differ from the 
bulk of the Plover-like birds in having holorhinal nostrils. 
The dorsal vertebrre are heterocaelous, and there are other 
osteological characters which are detailed in various works on 
the classification of birds, but on these I need not dilate 
further, as they are not necessary to an understanding of 
what a Bustard is. In form, in plumage, and in external 
character the birds are so peculiar as to be easily recognisable, 
if, indeed, anyone is so fortunate as to shoot a Bustard in 
the present day, for the Great Bustard has become extinct with 
us, and the other two species on the British List, the Little 
Bustard and Macqueen’s Bustard, are only rare visitants. 
The Bustards are birds of the Old World only, and are dis- 
tributed over the whole of it in localities suited to their habits. 
They do not extend, however, very far to the north. Some 
dozen genera are admitted by zoologists, and of these thice 
find place among our British birds. 
THE TRUE BUSTARDS. GENUS OTIS. 
Otis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 264 (1766). 
Type, O. tarda, Linn. 
In former times there were probably many more species 
of Bustards in Europe than exist at the present moment, for 
remains of an extinct species have been described by Mr. 
