Sand-Grouse. 37 



Punjab and Sind to Oudh and Bundel- 

 khand, the northern portion of the Central 

 India Agency, Khandesh and Guzerat. 

 It is most abundant in the Punjab and 

 Rajputana. Mr. Hodgson sent it from 

 some part of Nepal, and Colonel Biddulph 

 met with it near Gilgit in December. 



It occurs in Turkestan, S. W. Asia, 

 Southern Europe and Northern Africa. 



These Sand-Grouse occur in large flocks 

 and in some parts of the country in count- 

 less multitudes. Mr. Hume thus describes 

 their habits : " Ploughed land is a very 

 favourite resort in the early mornings, and 

 there they squat basking in the sun's 

 earliest rays, huddled up so close together 

 and, where the party is large, in such 

 dense masses, that large numbers may be 

 bagged with a couple of charges of large 

 shot, if one is only lucky enough to ap- 

 proach within 50 yards. . . . Wide, open, 

 sandy plains are their favourite resorts ; 

 and, though they do sometimes feed on 

 bare ploughed lands, it is rare to find 

 them on these except when basking in 

 the early morning or when taking their 

 midday siesta. This, like all the Sand- 

 Grouse, they always take when the sun is 

 hot, though on cold, cloudy, gloomy days, 

 they are moving the whole day. They 



