TEIE SHORT-tAlLED SAND-GROt/SE. 1 5 



Adult Female. — Differs from the male in having the upper- 

 parts of the body and chest ornamented with round greyish 

 black spots. Total length, 12*5 inches; wing, 7-4; tail, 4; 

 tarsus, 09. The only species this bird can be mistaken for is 

 the Coronetted Sand-Grouse (Pterodes coronatus) described be- 

 low, but this can be at once distinguished by its short tail. 



Range. — From the Southern Sahara in North Africa through 

 South-western Asia to North-western India. 



Eggs. — Similar to those of P. exustus, but the markings 

 more sparse. 



THE SHORT-TAILED SAND-GROUSE. GENUS 

 PTEROCLES. 



Pterodes, Temm. Man. Orn. p. 299 (1815); id. Tig. et. Gall. iii. 

 pp. 238, 712 (1815). 



Type, P. arenarius (Fall.). 

 The characteristics of this group are the same as those of 

 Pteroclurus, but the middle pair of tail-feathers are not pro- 

 duced, being but little longer than the second pair. 



I. THE LARGE OR BLACK-BELLIED SAND-GROUSE. PTEROCLES 

 ARENARIUS. 



Tetrao arenarius, Pallas, Nov. Com. Petrop, xix. p. 418, pi. viii. 



(i775)- 

 Pterochs arenarius ', Hume and Marshall, Game Birds of India, 

 i. p. 47, pi. (187s); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. 

 p. 1 8 (1893). 



Adult Male. — Distinguished from all the other species by its 

 large size and uniform black belly, none of the feathers being 

 edged with white. Throat chestnut, terminated by a black 

 band ; the chest and breast uniform dove-grey, and the feathers 

 of the back pale rufous and grey, with rufous-buff or yellow 

 ends. Total length, 13*5 inches; wing, 9*3; tail, 4*2; tarsus, 1. 



Adult Female. — Differs from the male in having the throat 



