Sand-Grouse. 27 



Mysore on the south. Throughout this 

 large area it is found in all suitable locali- 

 ties, namely those in which the rainfall is 

 small, the climate dry, the country open 

 and more or less sandy, with ploughed 

 land and fallow fields interspersed. It 

 apparently shuns the hills. 



Out of India this bird has a wide dis- 

 tribution over South-Western Asia and a 

 portion of Africa. 



Dr. Jerdon thus speaks of this bird. 

 "It feeds chiefly in the morning, and 

 between 8 and 9 a.m. goes to drink at 

 some river or tank, at which, in some 

 parts of the country, thousands assemble, 

 and they may be seen winging their way 

 in larger or smaller parties from all 

 quarters at a great height, uttering their 

 peculiar loud piercing call, which an- 

 nounces their vicinity to the sportsman 

 long before he has seen them. They 

 remain a few minutes at the water's edge, 

 walking about and picking up fragments 

 of sand and gravel, and then fly off as 

 they came. In the hot weather, at all 

 events, if not at all seasons, they drink 

 again about 4 p.m. When they are 

 seated on bare sandy or rocky ground 

 they are most difficult to observe, from 

 the similarity of their colour to the 



