224: CHARADRIIFORMES CHAP. 
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in France, and Rock-Pigeon in India, is grey above, with yellow 
tips to the dorsal feathers ; it has black, brown, and greyish-white 
wings, shewing chestnut and yellow on the coverts; yellowish 
rump and long median rectrices barred with black. The cheeks 
are orange, the throat is black with a little yellow beneath, the 
upper breast is chestnut-red, bordered by a black line above and 
below, the remaining under parts are white, the bill and feet 
brownish. The female differs in her white throat, and in her upper 
surface irregularly marked with buff, grey, and black. This 
species occurs in South Europe, North Africa, and South-West 
Asia; P. namaqua inhabits South Africa; P. exustus ranges 
from Senegal to the Pangani River in East Africa, and through 
Palestine to Central Asia and India; while P. senegallus extends 
from the Sahara to Palestine, Arabia, and North-West India. 
Syrrhaptes paradoxus, Pallas’s Sand-Grouse, has buff upper 
parts barred with black; mainly blue-grey wings and tail, with 
black and chestnut markings on the former, and white tips to 
the lateral rectrices; dull yellow crown and cheeks: orange nape 
and throat; greyish-buff neck and breast, white abdomen and 
metatarsal plumage, an interrupted black gorget, and a broader 
black band towards the belly. ‘The female has less elongated 
median tail-feathers, black streaks on the buff head, a black bar 
across the throat, and is duller generally. S. tibetanus, with 
entirely white belly, the largest of the Family, extends from 
the Sutle} and South Kashmir to Koko-Nor; but its congener 
reaches from the Lower Volga or the Kirghiz Steppes to the 
north of Lake Baikal and North China, while some erratic 
impulse of uncertain origin causes it to invade the plains of 
China and the whole of Europe at irregular intervals. One 
specimen was obtained at Sarepta on the Volga in 1848, and 
again in 1860, when flocks visited Pekin; in 1859 a few ex- 
amples occurred on the Continent, and between July and November 
three wandered to Britain; while in 1863 some 700 individuals 
reached our shores by May 21, straying as far as Ireland, but 
vanishing towards autumn. Several pairs bred on the sand-hills 
of Holland and Jutland. In 1872 and 1876 small parties visited 
us; and in 1888 another and incalculably larger invasion took 
place, which extended farther southward than that of 1863, and 
after entering Europe before the beginning of April, occupied 
Britain between May 6 and May 15, to remain there throughout 
