220 A HANDBOOK OF EUROPEAN BIRDS, 
Genus SYRRHAPTES. ra 
PALLAS’S SAND-GROUSE. * 
Syrrhaptes paradoxus (/al/.). 
Adult Male: General colour of upper parts sandy-buff or 
isabelline ; back, scapulars and innermost secondaries, rump 
and upper tail-coverts, the two centre tail-feathers, and the 
inner webs of the remainder are transversely barred with very 
dark brown ; primaries lavender, with black shafts ; secondaries 
are’dark brown on the outer webs, otherwise pale buff, as are 
also the primary-coverts ; outer webs of tail-feathers, except 
two centre ones, narrowly edged and broadly tipped with buff ; 
an obscure ring round the neck and ear-coverts yellowish- 
orange ; beneath sandy-buff, paler on chin, thighs and under 
tail-coverts; feathers of the upper breast have narrow dark 
brown tips; J/ower breast and belly dlackish ; vent white ; 
axillaries buffish-white, tipped with brown ; bill and claws 
brown ; irides dark brown. Length 14 to 15 inches ; culmen 
0°4; wing 9 to 10; Zaz 7°O; tarsus 1. 
Adult Female: ‘“ Differs from the male in having the 
barring on the back more obscure and extending on to the 
hind neck and crown; the yellowish-orange on the head and 
neck is paler, and bounded on the throat with a black margin ; 
the dark band across the breast is entirely absent ; and the 
outside primaries and centre tail-feathers are not so elongated ” 
(Seebohm). 
Young Male: “Has the barring on the back intermediate 
between that on the adult male and female” (Seebohm). 
Distribution : Inhabits the Tartar steppes of Central 
Asia, periodically occurring throughout most of Europe, often 
in vast quantities. Has nested in Great Britain. 
Habitat: High steppe regions: salt plains. 
