PTER0CLE3. 



207 



bi'own ; all tlie pi-imaries, except the first three, broadly margined 

 with fulvous white obliquely towards the tips on their inner webs, and 

 also slightly tipped the same; secondaries hair brown ; tertiaries vinous 

 on their inner webs and edged on tlie outer with buffisb; scapulars vinous 

 at the base, dark shafted, with a subterminal dark band, and mesially 

 tipped with a nearly oval buff spot ; median wing-coverts the same; 

 the greater series greyish buft' or buffy isabelline; abdomen, flanks, 

 under wing-coverts, vent and lower tail-coverts white, slightly soiled 

 on the middle of the abdomen, and in some specimens a pale isa- 

 belline ; tarsal plumes white. 



The Female has the throat and sides of the neck orange buff; the 

 chin paler and nearly albescent; the crown very pale cinnamon ; entire 

 upper surface buff, with, in some specimens, a vinous tinge and 

 barred with numerous crescentic and broken bands of dark brown ; 

 breast and under parts paler buff, also with crescentic bands ; the 

 flanks albescent ; scapulars largely blotched with dusky, and with 

 buff tips; primaries and secondaries as in the male, but very pale or 

 hair brown. 



Length. — ]r75 to 12 inches, wing 7 to 7*75, tail o-75, bill at front 

 0-45. 



Hah. — Sind, Persia, Beloochistan, Afghanistan, N. W. Arabia, 

 Egypt and Nubia. Breeds in the Southern portions of the Sahara, 

 where it is f'.aid to replace P. arenarius. 



Pterocles senegallus» Lin. Mantissa. 1771, p. 526; Lath. Ind. 

 Orn. vol. ii. p. 642; Graij, Gen. B. vol. iii. p. 619 ; Tristram, Ibis. 

 1860; 8tr. F. i. p. 221 ^ iii. pp. 418, 4; v. 231; Murray, Hdhh., 

 ZooL, cj'c, Sind, p. 197. Pterocles guttatus, Licht, Verz. d' Donbl. 

 Pterocles senegalensis, Shaw, Nat. Misc. vol. iv. pi. 933, Shelley, 

 It)is. 1871, p. 144. — The Spotted Sand Grouse. 



" The male has the whole chin and throat with a patch extending 

 upwards from the throat, towards, but not quite meeting on, the back 

 of the neck, bright buffy yellow or orange buff; loi'es, forehead, a broad 

 stripe over the eye continued round the nape and the back of the neck, 

 pale blue grey, dull and tinged fawny in some specimens; crown, 

 occiput, and nape, a sort of dove colour or pale, slightly rufous fawn ; 

 back and rump a somewhat similar, but more sandy colour, in many 

 specimens more tinged with fawn ; the upper tail-coverts buffy yellow, 

 all, but the longest, obscurely tipped with a somewhat pinkish mouse 

 colour. They are more or less pale dove colour at their bases, which 

 colour however is not seen till the feathers are lifted. The central tail 

 feathers have the pointed tips black, in many specimens moi^e or less 

 tinged hoary buffy, and the rest of the visible portion yellowish buff, 

 but the bases, as may be seen on lifting the feathers, are greyish; the 

 lateral tail feathers are a greyish brown at base, dark shafted, with 

 conspicuous white tips, and broad blackish brown subterminal bands ; 

 the primaries are pale isabelline, the shafts conspicuous and black ; they 

 have broad ill-defined subterminal brown bands, beyond which there 

 is a narrow paler tipping, and they are pretty conspicuously margined 



