2 2 ALLEN'S NATURALLST'S LIBRARY. 



Range. — South Africa, extending east through the Transvaal, 

 west to Mossamedes, and south to the Orange River. 



Habits. — A common species in many parts of South Africa. 

 Ayres says that " next to P. gutfiiralis, this is the most plentiful 

 Sand-Grouse found near the Limpopo. The greater number 

 of those we saw in June were in flocks, but some few had 

 paired and were breeding." According to Andersson it is the 

 commonest species in Damara and Great Namaqualand, 

 where considerable numbers may be seen during the dry 

 season, at any of the few permanent waters that exist in those 

 countries. Large flocks frequent these pools about dark and 

 during the early part of the night, as well as sometimes at 

 early dawn ; they remain only a short time at the water and 

 announce their arrival and departure by incessant sharp cries. 



IX. INDIAN PAINTED SAND-GROUSE. PTEROCLES 

 FASCIATUS, 



Tri/iga fasciata, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insubr. ii. p. 92 



(1786). 

 Pterocles fasciatus, Gray, List B. iii. p. 49 (1844) ; Hume and 

 Marshall, Game Birds of India, i. p. 59, pi. (1878) ; Ogilvie- 

 Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 27 (1893). 

 Adult Male. — Under tail-coverts closely barred with black ; a 

 pectoral band of three differently coloured bars, chestnut, 

 white or buff, and black ; throat not spotted with black ; the 

 chest above the pectoral band uniform yellowish-buff, and each 

 wing-covert tvith a white and a grey band near the extremity^ 

 sometimes with four alternate white and grey bars. Total 

 length, IO-8 inches ; wing, 67 ; tail, 3-3 ; tarsus, 0-9. 



Adult Female. — No pectoral band ; only a few black spots at 

 the base of the throat ; upper breast and wing-coverts with 

 narrow regular bars of black ; the feathers of the feet barred 

 with blackish-broivn. Total length, 105 inches; wing, 6-2 ; 

 tail, 2-9; tarsus, 0-9. 



