Young of P 'alias's Sand-Grouse. 211 



black. Immediately beneath the eye is a curved brown 

 patch,, streaked with black, then a large cream-coloured space, 

 running backward to join the coronet, bearing a quadran- 

 gular brown patch beneath the mandible and in a line with 

 the eye, and another directly below the ear. The chin is 

 more tinged with buff, and this colour extends all over the 

 front and lower parts of the body and legs to the claws. 

 Along the ridge of the neck is a light brown streak tinged 

 with sienna, which, edged on either side by a light sienna 

 streak, is continuous along the back till just above the 

 lumbar region, where these streaks unite and form a conspi- 

 cuous stripe that extends to the coccyx, being bordered on 

 each side by a streak of very deep brown — almost black — 

 slightly mottled with sienna. The upper part of the back 

 and wings is mottled sienna and dark brown, with irregular 

 lines or patches of cream-colour, one of which forms a 

 crescent on the upper part of the humerus, while another is 

 very distinct just below the edge of the forearm. The 

 lumbar region shews two distinct pairs of cream-coloured 

 patches, one extending over the articulation of the femur, 

 the other further back. The flanks are covered with tufts 

 of down of the same cream-colour, sienna, and rich brown, 

 the first perhaps predominating so as to form a line parallel 

 to the axis of the femur. 



The forehead and chin are beset with long hairs, black on 

 the former, but on the latter dusky at the base of the bill, 

 and afterwards cream-coloured — the last are continued over 

 all the throat and breast. 



I had hardly finished the above description when a letter 

 from Major Chadwick reached me by post. It was dated 

 the 8th of August (the preceding day), and informed me 

 that, knowing how anxious I had been the year before to see 

 the young of Syrrhaptes, he had sent me the example just 

 described, " found at Binsness to-day." I must apologize 

 to that gentleman for disobeying his command, which was to 

 return it to him as soon as I had looked at it, that he might 

 have it stuffed ; but I telegraphed and wrote to him that it 

 was absolutely necessary for me to have its portrait taken 

 before I could send it back, and accordingly, having in the 

 meanwhile ascertained by telegraph that Mr. Frohawk was 

 at home and willing to depict it, I forwarded it the same 

 night to him, whereby he was able to execute, within forty- 



