401 Mr. A. L. Butler on Birds observed 



71. Ammoperdix cholmleyi Grant. 



a. S ■ Khor Arbat, 2. 5. 08. 



b. S' V 2.5.08. 



These little Rock-Partridges were tolerably common in 

 the hills through which the Khor Arbat runs. They came 

 down to the water at mid-day, and, after drinking, spent the 

 heat of the day under bushes and creepers along the edge of 

 the stream. 



Francolinus erckeli (Riipp.) was not seen, and does not, 

 I think, extend north of Erkowit. 



72. Pterocles exustus (Temm.) . 



Common round Port Sudan, but I did not see large 

 numbers together. 



73. Pterocles lichtensteini Temm. 

 a. S' Khor Arbat, 16.5.08. 



These beautiful Sand-Grouse were fairly plentiful in the 

 Khor Arbat and at Jebel Bawati. I saw little of them in 

 the daytime, beyond flushing a few occasionally among the 

 rocks, but every night small parties of them came flying 

 down to the khor to drink, until considerable numbers were 

 collected along the stream. They did not arrive at the 

 water until dusk was merging into darkness, but continued 

 to come until after 8 p.m. Indeed, it was most diflBcult 

 to see to shoot even the earlier birds, as they flew low, and 

 the high hills shutting in the khor prevented me from 

 getting them straight against the sky-line. The call of 

 this species is a sharp, clear double whistle, like " quittoo ! 

 quittoo \," repeated two or three times, and by 8 o'clock 

 this, and an occasional rattle of wings, sounded on all sides, 

 long after the birds themselves had become invisible. 



The crop of the male skinned was full of the seeds of an 

 acacia. I have also seen Lichtenstein's Sand-Grouse among 

 the hills between Suakin and Kassala, and near the Shab- 

 luka Cataract, fifty miles north of Khartoum, but only 

 among rocky hills. 



