. A history of the birds of Europe, not observed in the British Isles . is always found in small flocks, congregatingmore numerously after the breeding-season. It never frequents water,but is always found in arid and especially salt plains, where it seeksgrasshoppers and other insects. It runs as fast as a Plover, and is equally afraid of man. It fliesaway when flushed, uttering the cry tirik-tirik, like a Tern. Itmigrates early to the south. It diflers so little in plumage from the well-known Pratincole,that I have not thought it necessary to give a figure, and I havestated all the points in
. A history of the birds of Europe, not observed in the British Isles . is always found in small flocks, congregatingmore numerously after the breeding-season. It never frequents water,but is always found in arid and especially salt plains, where it seeksgrasshoppers and other insects. It runs as fast as a Plover, and is equally afraid of man. It fliesaway when flushed, uttering the cry tirik-tirik, like a Tern. Itmigrates early to the south. It diflers so little in plumage from the well-known Pratincole,that I have not thought it necessary to give a figure, and I havestated all the points in which it diverges structurally or ornamentallyfrom that bird. It is figured by Pallas, Zoog., pi. 2; by Nordmann in the Bulletinof Moscow, 1842, pi. 2, and an excellent plate of the species willbe found in the Ibis for 1868, (plate viii.,) in illustration of apaper by Mr. J. H. Gurney, entitled, Notes on Mr. LayardsBirds of South Africa. The Q^^ has been described by Mr. Harting (, 1874, ) from specimens received from Southern Russia through RUFFED BUSTARD. 155 Order XIT.—CURSOJRES. Family OTIDIDyE. fBona^ Genus Otis. (Linnceus.) Generic Characters.—Beak shorter, or not exceeding the length of thehead, straight, conic, compressed, the point of the upper mandible oval, open, lateral, and a little removed from the base. Feet long,naked above the knee. Three toes, all in front, short, united at the base,and bordered with a membrane. Wings moderate, the first quill half thelength of, and the second rather shorter than the third, which is the longestin the winar. RUFFED BUSTARD. Otis lioubara. Otis hoiihara, et rhaad, Gmelin. Psophia undulata, Jacquin. Chlamydotis houbara, Lesson. Hoiihara undulata, Bonaparte. houbara. Gray; Hand List. Oiitarde houbara, Of the French. Kragentrappe, Of the Germans. Specific Characters.—Beak long and much depressed at the base; a crestof white feathers on the vertex, and a long and strong mass of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1875
