22 SAND-GROUSE 



cumbersome by adding to them the termination " formes," tlius making 

 in this case Pterocliformes. 



In addition to the features already mentioned, it will suffice to 

 observe that sand-grouse have the hind-toe rudimentary or absent, 

 and short feathered legs, with the toes either feathered or bare. Sand- 

 grotise, as is at once evident from the tone of their plumage, are desert 

 birds, whose distributional area extends over the eastern hemisphere as 

 far east as India and China, ranging as far north as Mongolia. Three 

 generic types arc known, each with a small number of species, but 

 Pallas's sand -grouse, which, with other representatives of the same 

 genus, differs from all the rest in the complete absence of the hind- 

 toe, is the only one which visits Europe, such visits taking place at 

 irregular intervals. 



The present species, as already mentioned, is specially distinguished 

 by the form of the feet, which have only three toes, united by webs 

 extending as far as the base of the last joint. The cock has the upper- 

 parts brownish yellow barred with black, a white bar of black-tipped 

 feathers across the fore part of the breast, and a dark chocolate band 

 across the abdomen. The greater wing-coverts are chestnut-red, and 

 the two middle tail-feathers produced into long points. In the hen 

 the throat is marked by a narrow black ring, the neck and upper- 

 parts are spotted instead of banded, the chocolate band across the 

 abdomen is wanting, and the tail is shorter. The young in first 

 plumage resemble the hen. In all sand -grouse the down differs 

 structurally from that of other birds, and gives to the chicks a 

 characteristic appearance. While the ground-colour is pale buff, the 

 markings take the form of patches of dark brown and black arranged 

 in irregular wavy lines. 



The true home of Pallas's sand-grouse is the Kirghiz steppes and 

 the desert tracts of other parts of Central Asia, inclusive of Mongolia 

 and northern China. From these regions flights of sand-grouse make 

 their way from time to time to western Europe. The two great 

 immigrations in modern times were those of 1863 and 1888, which 

 extended to Ireland, where a single pair was also killed in 1876. 

 Some of these birds bred in England, but such as were not shot, or 

 did not perish from other causes, seem to have eventuallj' made their 

 way back to Central Asia. To describe the habits of a species which is 

 only an occasional visitor to Britain is unnecessary ; and it will suffice 

 to mention that the eggs are pale stone-colour, evenl\- speckled and 

 blotched with yellowish brown. 



