OTIS TETiRAX,®
Little Bustard.
Otis tetrax, Lion. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 264.
- minor, Briss. Orn., tom. v. p. 24, pi. ii. figs. 2.
Tetrax campestris, Leach, Syst. Cat. of Spec, of Mamin, and Birds preserved in Brit. Vi
Un lik e the Great B astard, which at one time was indigenous to our iafamd. tins smaller AiK'cies fat* M more
claim to rank s& a British bird than any other accidental visitor. I t is true that records of ¡»> h-v tog i>«u
shot in many counties, from Cornwall to the banks o f the Tweed, may be sVmmd in the various work» on
British ornithology, but these occurrence» extend over a great number of years—from the time of Pennant
to that of Yarrell. North of the Tweed it has seldom o ccurred; and the late Mr. Thompson states that !••;>)>
two have been seen in Ireland. I f this general view o f the occurrence of the bird in Britain shookl not he
sufficiently precise, I must refer my readers to the pages o f the ' Zoologist,’ the work« o f Yarrett and others,
where the exact dates and localities will be found. I must admit that I am somewhat surprised that tin-
majority of the specimens which % over from the Continent to England should, pay their visit» iu autumn
or winter. Is it because our island is m ore humid, and less affected by the frost, than France and Germany ?
Or are these autumnal visits o f an accidental character, when the bird, finding the climate suitable for wiuter-
quarters, tarries until it is shot, which is usually its fate ?
Having stated that Britain is not the true home o f the Little Bustard, and that it was never indigenous
here, I pow proceed to mention what parts o f the earth’s surface it enlivens. These are the open champaign
parts o f France and Spain, the sterile districts of Germany and Turkey, and the soother» steppes
o f Russia, as far east as the Caspian Sea. In all these latter countries it is abundant, particularly in
summer; and I have not the least doubt that it is strictly migratory, and that it crosses both the Mediterranean
and Black Sea in spring and autumn,—the greater portion of those which summer in France ami
Spain proceeding to Morocco «ed other parts of northern Africa in winter, «nd $*ose which breed it* the
Crimea crossing in like manner to Asia Minor and Persia.
“ Pennant, in his ‘Arctic Zoology,’ says that the l it tl e Bustard i* frequently suet with ia the mtgs&ier* awj
south-western parts o f Russia, where it migrates in small Socks, and that it is also found kb ife dteMPtte o f
Tartary. I t is numerous in France, and also occurs in Spain, Provence, Italy, and Sard»:«*, v>V. 1 .<•“•&* my»
it remains all the year. I t is found in North Africa, Turkey, and Greece. Specimens b;«v W<j v-r.i • *> the
Zoological Society from Erzeroum by Keith Abbott, Esq., and by Messrs. Uicksor» and Bom, who »¡^tt- «*»
fhtfjt*- twt«, that it is very common in the ploughed fields on the skirt;> of the marshes. MenetriC'» observe*
t e at the foot o f Mount Caucasus, partk'ularSy towards the shores o f the Caspian Sea.
a very marked rewtmldancc in «fWMrtMNt $0 v>;? --r,
which generic have been -- >i
questioning the ¡propriety of this -xrtmi&mi/MA. I >--v c
Those who have not m ght urntfhoteg y a atmtyadSf ftr
is adorned with the Mm I MMl white .at' juss? M | flB jitM
that a t other seasons he w dfoffcwi Sifci' the ffeawifc-,. ^
opposite sex to mate wwh hm . ‘life? umatMfdfaM. *$ 4% 0 >:> -»hm* alw w*
returns to our latitudes, with p i - - m A Sic
completed by the time the ittaBrii*?» I**» feaa'fewt » f *58
reassumes his winter livery, ft
o f the many examples that h am ItiNjb SM^p I fe- wm
one, formerly in Mr. Bullock'* . h *» dsw ..
escaped my memory.. The formes 4
adjoining ones of Suffolk sod $ ■ - ■ - ■:>'■■■* ■ hjife hsrse MRp
other. “ Several specimen* m 4 ,7^ -tesfalmNA - M p®$0 i