PTEROCLES VARIEGATUS. 



two partial tawny bars upon their inner vanes ; the tips of all pale ochre- 

 yellow. Bill and claws umber-brown ; eyes dark brown ; toes livid brown.* 



Form, &c.— Typical. Bill short and slender ; wings when folded, reach to 

 within about half an inch of the point of the tail ; first quill feather longest, 

 and slightly exceeding the second ; the remainder successively decrease in 

 length ; the longest of the tertiaries rather exceeding the length of the 

 seventh primary quill feather ; tail cuneated, the two centre feathers slightly 

 prolonged beyond those on each side of them and accuminated ; lateral toes 

 equal. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Inches. Lines. 



Length of the tarsus 1 1 



of the middle toe 9 



of the outer toe 6 



Inches. Lines. 

 Length from the base of the bill to the 



tip of the tail 9 C 



ofthetail 3 3 



of the wings when folded C 5 



of bill from the angle of the 



mouth 7 



In the female, the chin, the sides of the head, and the stripe over the eyes 

 is ochre-yellow, instead of silvery grey; the belly is pale yellowish brown, 

 barred with dusky white ; along its centre the first colour is often almost um- 

 ber-brown ; the feathers of the flanks are light brown tipt with white ; all the 

 tail feathers blackish brown, partially barred on both vanes with tawny white 

 and tipt with ochre- yellow ; elsewhere the colour of the plumage is nearly 

 the same as in the male. 



The first specimens of this species which we procured, were obtained at Tsining, about 

 thirty miles to the westward of Latakoo. Tlie habit of repairing to springs, or other collections 

 of water, at fixed periods, to drink, is common to it, with the other species of tlie genus 

 Pterocles. Early in the morning, between tlie hours of seven and nine, appeared to be the 

 time destined for the present species to quench its thirst, and between those hours specimens 

 were to be obtained in abundance, wherever water was acces.sible, both to the west and nortli 

 of Latakoo. Like Pterocles gutturalis, they feed singly, or in pairs, and like tlie latter, con- 

 gregate before they reach their drinking-places, and generally appear in larger flights, owing, 

 no doubt, to the members of this species being more numerous. In their progress to and from 

 these places of daily resort, in common with Pterocles tachypetes, Temm., P. bicinctus, Temm., 

 P. simplex, Lesson, and P. gutturalis, they fly at a great height, and suddenly descend, when 

 they approach the water, or their feeding grounds, and even on some occasions, the descent is 

 not commenced before they are directly over the spot where it is their object to alight. On 

 such occasions they require to form a semi-circular or circular movement before they can reach 

 the desired spot. In the stomachs of this species were found seeds, small bulbs, and abund- 

 ance of fine gravel. 



* No two specimens of this species exhibit exactly the same intensity of tints, and often not even what 

 would be described as the same colour. 



