2-969-851 - /Heritage Images

Male Bustard taken near Hungerford, Berks., 1856. 'A very valuable specimen of this almost extinct bird has been seen by the celebrated ornithologist, Mr. William Yarrell, and is by him represented to be a young male bird, of the third year. It is unquestionably the only male specimen of the Great Bustard which has been taken for some years in this country...when taken, [it] had its left leg broken just above the knee-joint; and although it "showed fight" at first, it was ultimately very easily taken on the ground by the little boy who found it...the boy...caught hold of the end of the wing on the side of the disabled leg of the bird, and so, having once been thrown on its side, the bird became powerless. The bustard...is in the hands of Mr. Leadbeater for preservation...The weight of the bird when captured was thirteen pounds and a half; and it measured from tip to tip of the wings six feet three inches'. From "Illustrated London News", 1856.