148 INDIAN SPOETING BIEDS 



seeds form the main portion of it ; but Hume was no doubt right 

 in thinking that to this more insectivorous tendency the greater 

 succulence of the present bird's flesh is due, though he had a 

 poor opinion of any sort of sand-grouse as food, except when 

 "baked in a ball of clay, gipsy fashion." I should think that 

 wrapped in a thin rasher of bacon, civilized fashion, they might 

 go just as well. 



The note of this species is characteristic, being, according to 

 Hume and Dresser, a gurgling sound like " quiddle, quiddle, 

 quiddle " ; but James, quoted by Hume, says it is very like that 

 of the common sand-grouse, though he admits it is less harsh, 

 and easily distinguishable. 



It is not so wary as the black-bellied sand-grouse, and the 

 cocks are less quarrelsome than in that species. The eggs are 

 laid in March and April, and number two or three ; one extracted 

 from a hen shot in Upper Sind is described as pale yellowish 

 stone colour, spotted with olive-brown and grey. The weight of 

 the bird is about nine ounces or more in cocks and less in hens. 



Large Pintailcd Sand-grouse. 



Pteroclnrus alchata. El Guett'ha, Arabic. 



Nobody seems to know any special native name for this 

 sand-grouse, which is curious, seeing that for distinctness and 

 beauty of plumage it stands apart, and is one of our three species 

 which are as large as pigeons. From the other two, the Tibetan 

 and the black-bellied, it is easily distinguished; its belly is white, 

 not black, as in the latter, and though the Tibetan sand-grouse 

 has also a white belly, its toes, feathered as well as the legs, 

 distinguish it. Moreover, the present bird has, above the white 

 belly, a black band clearly marking off the buff breast. These 

 points, and the long pin feathers in the tail, are common to both 

 sexes, but otherwise they differ ; the hen has the usual black- 

 pencilled buff upper plumage of hen sand-grouse, and the cock's 

 upper plumage is a beautiful mixture of subdued olive-green and 

 soft yellow, the former colour predominating. He has a black 

 throat and a black necklace a little way below this, defining the 



