PTBBOCLES CORONATUS ATRATUS 271 



commonly seen in small parties of a dozen or so, and is more active 

 on the ground than other Sand-Grouse, running about and picking 

 up seeds like a partridge, whereas P. alchata and P. arenarius are 

 leisurely and staid in their gait. 



" It breeds in tiie Helniund desert, for I found it common 

 between Kandahar and the river in July." 



Ml'. R. H. C. TLifnell has a rather curious note on this bird's 

 flight; he says: "Sir William Merewether tells me that the flight 

 and cry of P. coronatiis are quite different from those of all the other 

 species. They have a curious fluttering flight, and appear often to 

 hover in the air, especially before settling, and their cry is a twitter- 

 ing one." This, however, does not agree well with Whitaker"s 

 account of the same bird's flight. This is contained in the best and 

 fullest account of the habits of the Coronetted Sand-Grouse I have 

 come across, and I, therefore, though it is written of the African 

 subspecies, quote it in extenso. 



First in his ' Birds of Tunisia,' p. 243, he says of P. coronatus 

 that it is " not at all uncommon in Southern Tunisia, and it also 

 occurs in the Algerian Sahara and in Tripoli. 



" Its range in the Tunisia appears to be confined to districts 

 south of the Atlas, where, however, it is in some parts abundant." 



Then in the ' Ibis ' for 1894, Whitaker writes in the article to 

 which I refer : — 



" During my journey I met with it at only one place, viz., at 

 Oglet, Alima .... where it was plentiful, coming in flocks of from 

 ten to fifty birds to drink at the water holes made by the Arabs in 

 the dry river-beds. I saw it first on March 12th, when the flight 

 commenced about seven a.m., and lasted till nearly ten o'clock, after 

 which hour the birds disappeared. During the remainder of the day 

 I only met with an occasional straggler in the plains near Oglet- 

 Alima, and think the bulk of the birds must have gone further south 

 towards the desert, nor did they return to drink here in the evening. 

 The following morning, however, they were at the water-holes again 

 in full force. They are very strong on the wing and fly at a con- 

 siderable height, uttering a loud clucking note all the time, something 

 like that of the Common Fowl. So loud is the note and so high do 

 the birds fly, that they can often be distinctly heard when scarcely 

 visible to the naked eye. Though very shy and difficult to approach 

 they do not leave tlie neighbourhood when disturbed but return to 

 the water-holes or their immediate vicinity till the hour arrives for 



