38 NATURE AND SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA 



grouse - like voice, which my comrade very well 

 likened to the cry of grouse as they make raids upon 

 the corn-fields in autumn. The under-colouring of 

 the male of this handsome bird is also very grouse-like 

 — a deep chocolate-red. The female is more chest- 

 nut in hue in the under-colouring. The male bird 

 is also notable for the sulphur-green of the neck 

 and breast, the dark-brown gorget-like band upon 

 the breast, and the Nankin-yellow of the sides of 

 the head and chin. The variegated sand-grouse can 

 be distinguished from the Namaqua, which it much 

 resembles in shape and flight, by the clear white 

 spots upon the upper and breast plumage, and the 

 splashes of bright yellow upon the general olive 

 upper-colouring. The double-banded species, again, 

 can be told from the Namaqua by its larger size 

 and the difference in the colouring of the breast- 

 bands. In the Namaqua these bands are white and 

 brownish-red; in the double-banded species white 

 above, black beneath. All the sand-grouse, however, 

 are very remarkable and very beautiful birds, and 

 well deserve more notice and a closer acquaintance 

 than they have hitherto obtained. The flesh is not 

 very good eating, and we found the skin of these 

 birds so exceedingly tough, that our specimens gave 

 us far more trouble to prepare than any other birds 

 shot during the expedition. 



