THE SHORT-TAILED SAND-GROUSE. 



19 



Soutl ern Sahara and found it breeding. Practically nothing 

 is known regarding the habits or i:)recise area of distribution of 

 this bird. 



Eggs. — Ashy-white, with a few, almost obliterated, pale brown 

 markings. 



V. smith's chestnut-vented sand-grouse, pterocles 



GUTTURALIS. 



Fieroclesguttiiralis, Smith, Rep. Exped. Centr. Afr. p. 56 (1836) 

 and Zool. S. Afr. pi. iii. [male] and pi. xxxi. [female] 

 (1838-9); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 25 

 (1893). 



Adult Male. — Belly uniform deep chestnut ; tarsus uniform 

 rufous-buff, 7iot barred with black or brown ; under tail- 

 coverts uniform dark chestnut ; upper surface of the shaft 

 of the first flight-feather dark or dusky, never white ; eyebrow- 

 stripe and throat pale yellowish-buff; a black band across 

 the neck, and a second one from the gape to the eye. Total 

 length, 12 inches; wing, Z"^; tail, 3-4; tarsus, 1-2. 



Adult Female. — Differs in having 7io marked eyebrow-stripe ; 

 no black band across the throat ; that from the gape to the 

 eye brownish ; and the lower breast and belly chestnut, barred 

 with black. Total length, ii-6 inches; wing, 8*2; tail, 3-]; 

 tarsus, i*i. 



Range. — Found in South-eastern, Eastern, and North-eastern 

 Africa, from the Transvaal to the highlands of Abyssinia and 

 to the Wembaere Steppes and Masai-land. 



Habits. — This large and handsome bird is one of the most 

 plentiful of the Said Grouse near the Limpopo, and Ayres 

 found it breeding there in June. In the neighbourhood of 

 Potchefstroom, he tells us, they are tolerably plentiful towards 

 the end of winter and beginning of spring, but appear to leave 

 in summer. They are seldom met with singly, generally in 

 companies of from three to a dozen or more, and frequent 



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