iJie Birds of Cyprus. 333 



136. Turtle Dove. Columba turtur. 



More abundant in Cyprus in April and May than in any 

 other part of the world that I have visited. C/. Guillemard, 

 Ibis, 1888, p. 113. *. 



137. Collared Turtle Dove. Columba risoria. 



I noticed one or two of this species in the streets of 

 Larnaca, and Guillemard in his rough list mentions a 

 Turtur, without specific name, which no doubt refers to this 

 race. This Dove swarms about the mosques and streets of 

 the town of Rhodes. It is included in the bird-list of Unger 

 and Kotschy, op. supra cit. 



138. Pintailed Sand Grouse. Pterocles alchata. 



Cf. Unger and Kotschy, o/>. supra cit. " HdpSaXa.'^ 

 I heard many rumours of Sand Grouse as occurring in the 

 central plains of Cyprus, but I did not meet with any species 

 of this family. Guillemard, however. Ibis, 1888, p. 1)8, 

 writes : — " a species of Pterocles is now common, and I 

 learnt on good authority that it breeds in the island. ^^ The 

 Mesorea is certainly well adapted to the habits of Sand 

 Grouse, and it would be extremely interesting to British 

 ornithologists to know if it has been visited this year by 

 Syrrhaptes paradoxus ; but although my friend Guillemard 

 has succeeded in instilling a taste for our science iu a 

 certain official quarter of the island, I fear that we are not 

 likely to obtain any positive evidence on this latter point. 



In a letter signed E. H. T., which appeared in the ' Field'' 

 of April 27, 1889, a species of Sand Grouse is mentioned as 

 being (apparently) common and well known in Cyprus. This 

 letter is entitled " Odds and Ends of Sport in Cyprus,''' and 

 the writer, by an obvious slip of the pen, mentions '' Ptar- 

 migan'' as one of the game birds of the island. I presume 

 that Francolin was the name that this anonymous sportsman 

 intended to write. 



139. Chukar Partridge. Caccabis chukar. 



This Partridge (which, in my opinion, has been very 



properly separated from the so-called Greek Partridge, 



Caccabis sa.vatilis) is exceedingly common in almost all 



