THE PIN-TAILED FOUR-TOED SAND-GROUSE. g 



sub-terminal bars on the wing-coverts white. Throat in sioii- 

 mer plumage black, in whiter white, like that of the female ; 

 chest in summer light rufous, in 7vinter much paler and similar 

 to that of the female ; upper-parts in summer Av\\ olive, with an 

 ochreous patch at the end of most of the feathers ; in autumn 

 barred with yellowish-buff and black, and somewhat like the 

 plumage of the female at all seasons ; in winter uniform dull 

 olive, with rarely any ochreous markings. Total length, 14-8 

 inches; wing, 8-4; tail, d-T^; tarsus, i-i. 



Adult Female — Distinguished from the male at all seasons by 

 the slate-grey or whitish bands near the extremity of the barred 

 feathers of the back and upper-parts; the throat is white at 

 all seasons ; and the chest paler rufous than that of the male 

 in summer plumage, but similar to that of the winter plumage. 

 Total length, 13-5 inches; wing, 7*8; tail, 5-5; tarsus, i. 



Nestling. — Very similar to that of the Pallas' Three-toed 

 Sand-Grouse {S. paradoxus), but differing somewhat in pattern 

 and readily distinguished by the naked toes and rudimentary 

 hallux. 



Eange. — South-western Asia is the home of this species, 

 which is found from Palestine to North-western India, and 

 extends southwards to the head of the Persian Gulf and 



paler olive with creamy-yellow tips ; the white throat and white stripe 

 behind the eye by black ; the barred head by uniform creamy slate-colour, 

 and the chestnut belt on the breast becomes bright in colour, with sharp 

 black bands above and below, caused by the wearing off of the edges of 

 the feathers. 



These changes are complete in adult and vigorous male birds, but in 

 some individuals, when the moult happens to be prolonged, those feathers 

 of the back which are last cast, and are consequently developed towards the 

 time when the autumn plumage should be assumed, partake of the charaC' 

 ters of both the summer and autumn plumages, being olive with more or 

 less distinct yellow and black bars. 



The female does not appear to go through any of these changes, only 

 changing the white stripe behind the eye for a black one, and a few of the 

 dorsal feathers being replaced about the beginning of January for others 

 with brighter and broader blue-grey bands, while the black bands on the 

 breast and throat become more intense by tip-shedding. 



