. The aquatic birds of Great Britain and Ireland . amor-ganshire. As two years have elapsed since the fifteen GreatBustards were liberated in Norfolk, and in a recent numberof the Field every single liberated bird has been accountedfor, we may safely conclude that the Irish specimen hasnot had an assisted passage; we may also remark that bothspecimens, Irish and Welsh, have been carefully examinedby the gentleman who brought the birds to Norfolk, andhis conclusion was that they were bond-Jide travellers. Ofcourse there will always be a certain amount of doubt whenthere is only one occurrence o
. The aquatic birds of Great Britain and Ireland . amor-ganshire. As two years have elapsed since the fifteen GreatBustards were liberated in Norfolk, and in a recent numberof the Field every single liberated bird has been accountedfor, we may safely conclude that the Irish specimen hasnot had an assisted passage; we may also remark that bothspecimens, Irish and Welsh, have been carefully examinedby the gentleman who brought the birds to Norfolk, andhis conclusion was that they were bond-Jide travellers. Ofcourse there will always be a certain amount of doubt whenthere is only one occurrence of a species in a locality, but in GKEAT BUSTAKD 195 this instance the two birds were seen for some weeks, andthe bird was shot in Wales in the same week in which theIrish specimen was obtained. We cannot find any accountof the species having been turned down in Ireland, as wasthe case with the Tawny Owl obtained in the North ofIreland. While agreeing with Messrs. Williams and Son, it seemsto be difficult to determine whether the birds in question. Fig. BUSTARD. had only crossed from England, having tarried there fora considerable time after liberation, or had reached Irelandas genuine migrants. It is a matter for regret that birdslike Bustards, which at intervals are turned down inEngland, are not first properly marked. There is anobjection to putting metal rings, &c., round the legs, asthey may get detached, to say nothing of the discomfortwhich they might cause to the wearer. When liberatingBustards it is quite possible to l)rand them first: a small 196 OTIDID^ area of the skin might be tattooed with a dark iiideHblepigment. This may be done very conveniently on one ofthe bare areas of skin {apteria), , between the tractsalong which the feathers grow {pterijlce). I have success-fully tattooed homing-pigeons, only very few feathersbeing lost by this treatment. Though male Bustards, like Kuffs, fight savagely togain possession of the females, it still remains unc
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectwaterbi, bookyear1906
