i8 Allen's naturalist's library. 



the breeding-season had commenced. These, like other Sand- 

 Grouse, he tells us, are very tough if cooked fresh, but if kept 

 for nearly a week, become tender and well-flavoured. 



IV. THE CORONETTED SAND-GROUSE. PTEROCLES CORONATUS. 



Pterocles coronatus, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 65 (1823); Gould, 

 Birds Asia, vi. pi. 63 (185 1); Hume and Marshall, Game 

 Birds of India, i. p. 57 (1878) ; Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus. xxii. p. 23 (1893). 



Adult Male. — Belly huff ; feathers of feet uniform, ?iot barred 

 with black or brown ; under tail-coverts uniform^ ; upper sur- 

 face of the shaft of the first flight-feather white ; the plumage 

 7iot spotted with white ; throat yellow, divided for about hall 

 its length by a diack dar, which surrounds the gape, but is 

 interrupted on the middle of the forehead by a whitish patch ; 

 the chest and breast u/iifor;n. Total length, 1 1 inches ; wing, 

 7*1 ; tail, 3*2 ; tarsus, 0*9. 



Adult Pemale. — Distinguished from the male by having the 

 throat yellow without a black bar, and the chest and breast 

 barred with greyish-black. Total length, io'3 inches ; wing, 

 6*6 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 0*9. 



The male of this species is similar in general appearance to 

 the male of the Spotted Sand-Grouse {P. senegaUus) described 

 above, but may be at once distinguished by the short middle 

 tail-feathers, the black on the throat and round the gape, and 

 the absence of black on the belly. 



Range. — This species is met with in North-eastern Africa 

 and the south-western portions of Asia, and extends from the 

 Southern Sahara to the extreme north-west of India. 



HaMts. — Its cry is said to resemble that of the Spotted Sand- 

 Grouse. Canon Tristram met with it in small numbers in the 



*■ The female sometimes has a bar or two of black on the under tail- 

 coverts, but always wide apart. 



