PTEROCLES. ZU5 



slightly paler beliind the black collar; chin whitish; throat, breast and 

 entire lower surface pale vinous red, white on the vent and loAver tail- 

 coverts ; rump and upper tail-coverts deep slaty ; primaries, their 

 coverts and secondaries dusky brown ; the margin of the primaries, as 

 also the margins and tips of the secondaries, whitish ; primary coverts 

 slightly tinged with vinous red on their outer webs ; edge of the wing 

 greyish, some of the dark bases of the median coverts showing 

 through; tail with middle feathers ashy brown, the others greyish black 

 at the base, and broadly tipped with white ; the under surface black and 

 pure white, outermost feathers on each side white on the exterior web ; 

 bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs purplish red. 



Length.. — 9 inches, wing 5*5 to 5*75, tail 3 to 3'25. The Feviah is 

 duller in colour on the back, being more of an earthy brown and much 

 paler below ; lengtJt 8*5 to 9 inches, wing 5 to 5'25. 



Hab, — 'The dryer regions in India, to Ceylon and the foot of the 

 Himalayas. Common iu the Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Oudh, Bengal, 

 Kajputana, Kutch, Guzerat, Concan and Deccan, but less so in Sind. 

 Occurs also in Assam and Northern Burmah. In Sind it effects the 

 northern districts chiefl}^, seldom seen below Sukkur. It is not known 

 from S. Afghanistan, where T. senegalcnsis no doubt replaces it. 



ORDER, RASOEES,— Gallinaceous or Game Birds, 



Bill usually short, vaulted, more or less arched and bent down at the 

 tip ; nostrils situated in a membrane at the base of the bill ; wings usual- 

 ly short ; tail variable in length and form ; tarsi long and strong, often 

 spurred; hinder toe short and elevated from the ground. 



Family, PTEROCLID^,— Sand or Eock-Grouse. 



Bill short, curved to the tip and compressed at the sides; wings long 

 and pointed ; tail long and pointed ; tarsi feathered; hind toe small. 



Gen. Pterocles.— Tew. 



Bill small, rather stout ; culmen curved, sides compressed; nostrils 

 at base partly covered by membrane; wings long, 1st and 2nd primaries 

 longest; tail with the median rectrices sometimes lengthened beyond 

 the rest ; tarsi short, feathered in front and on the inner side. 



Mr. D. G. Elliott has a very clear and exhaustive paper on 

 the PteroclidcB Family in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of 

 London, 1878, pp. 233, 264, giving the literature of the Family, its 

 classification and a review of the geographical distribution, as well as 

 a key and descriptions, with the synonomy of each species. The 

 following key is extracted from the paper referred to, and refers only 

 to those species found in Sind : — • 



A, '' Without pectoral band. 



(a) Stripe on each side of forehead from nostril to above 

 the eye; chin and centre of throat hlack. . .P. coronatus. 



