PTEB0CLE8 LICHTENSTEINI ARABIGUS Zi-> 



isolated spots below. The whole of the upper parts and wing-coverts 

 are finely barred pale earthy-buff and black, the median and greater 

 coverts tipped narrowly with pale yellowish and the outer webs 

 of the outer coverts with narrower black bars and more proportionate 

 pale buff, generally of a lighter, purer tint than that of the back. 

 Greater coverts and primaries like those of the male ; under wing- 

 coverts grey, obsoletely barred darker; whole lower surface and 

 flanks barred black and white, the latter purest on the abdomen and 

 buff on the breast ; on the under tail-coverts the bars are broader 

 and the tips are yellowish ; feathers of tarsi pale buff. 



The female varies to the same extent as the male in general tint ; 

 the bird shown in the plate representing an average bird, whilst some 

 may range a good deal paler and sandier and others richer with more 

 of a rufous tint. 



Measurements. — The wing of the female measures between 6"55 

 inches (^-IGGS mm.) and 7'10 (=180'3 mm.) with an average of 

 6-85 (:=176-5 mm.), the tarsus between '86 (=21-8 mm.) and 10 

 (=25'4 mm.) with an average of "93 (—23-6 mm.), the bill between 

 •50 (= 12'7 mm.) and '55 (= 13'9 mm.) with an average of '52 

 (=13'2 mm.), the tail about 3 (=76"2 mm.) or rather less. 



It is on an average, therefore, a decidedly smaller bird than the 

 male, but judging from the small series I have been able to examine, 

 the bill is longer, though more slender. Hume's measurements refer 

 to one pair of birds only, but he gives the weight of both male and 

 female as eight ozs. 



Distribution. — The home of this little sand-grouse is Abyssinia, 

 Nubia, Egypt in the extreme south, and South Arabia. Thence it 

 extends east through South Persia, Beluchistan and South Afghan- 

 istan into Sind. The most northern record in Persia I can find is 

 that of a bird from the Tigris, north of the Persian Gulf, and it 

 seems also not to be found much north of Mecca or Jeddah in 

 Western Arabia, though it thence works north and east round the 

 Persian Gulf. 



Within Indian limits the Close-barred Sand-Grouse has only been 

 obtained in Sind, west of the Indus, from Gul Mahomed, Mehar, 

 Upper Sind, where Hume first came across it, to Karachi in the 

 extreme south, 



