298 



GAME-BIRDS OF INDIA 



Nidification. — The Common Sand-Grouse breeds everywhere 

 within its range in India, more freely in some parts than in others, 

 according to whether the wide stretches of waste lands it loves 

 and requires are obtainable or not. 



What constitutes the breeding-season of the Common Sand- 

 Grouse is, it must be admitted, practically impossible to determine, 

 and the utmost one can say is that more breed in some months than 

 in others and even thus we must hedge and allow that what are 

 the favourite months in one place need not be so in another place 

 no great distance away. For instance, if we take the three places 

 Sirsa, Hissar, and Hansi, all close together in the south of the 

 Punjab, we find that the British Museum has a series of no less 

 than seventy-five eggs from round about these towns which were 

 taken in the following months : — 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



9 



23 



6 



5 

 9 

 



8 



and thirty-five are not dated. This does not help us much, but 

 would seem to imply that they do not lay in the cold weather. If 

 we then turn to Hume's ' Nests and Eggs ' we find Khan Nizam- 

 oo-deen. Khan Bahadur, took eggs at or near Sirsa on the following 

 dates : — 



