SPOTTED SAND-GROUSE 147 



These birds weigh about eight ounces, the cocks running 

 heavier ; they also have the long feathers in the tail about an 

 inch longer than the hens. 



Although a resident with us, this sand-grouse is not con- 

 fined to India, inhabiting also central and south-west Asia and 

 a large part of Africa ; it is, in fact, truly the common sand- 

 grouse, having the widest range in the family. Being so notice- 

 able and well known a bird in India, it has many names — 

 Bukhttifar, Kumar-tit and Kuliar — as well as the one above 

 given in Hindustani, Pakorade or Pokundi in Marathi. Jam 

 polanka in Telugu, Kal-kondari in Tamil, and Kal-gowjal liaki 

 in Canarese, while in Sind the names are Butahur and Batohun, 

 and among the Bheels Popandi is used. 



Spotted Sand-grouse. 



Pteroduriis senegalliis. Nandu katinga, Sindi. 



It is not often that a bird is named from a peculiarity in the 

 hen's plumage alone, but that is the case with the present one, 

 in which only the hen is spotted, the spots being small round 

 black ones on a buff ground, and taking the place of the more 

 or less transverse black pencilling usual in female sand-grouse. 

 Except for this, she is very like the common sand-grouse, and 

 has a similar pin tail ; the cock has a corresponding likeness to 

 that of the common Bhut-titar, but is easily distinguishable by 

 his grey eye-streaks and chocolate mottling on the wings. 



This species, though numerous where it occurs, is very local, 

 being a regular visitor only to Sind and Jeysulmere ; it also 

 occurs near the Kunn of Cutch and in the Shahpur district in 

 the Punjab. Although for the most part a winter visitor, some 

 individuals undoubtedly breed in Sind, but the main haunts of 

 the species are in Northern Africa, though it is also found in 

 South-west Asia. 



The spotted sand-grouse assembles in flocks up to fifty in 

 number and has a strong preference for the desert, though it 

 comes to the edge of cultivation for food. The food includes 

 more insects than is usually the case with sand-grouse, though 



