PTEEOCLES. 365 



with three young ones not quite full-grown, in the plains belo\v, 

 about twenty miles from this, in February last, which shows that 

 P.fasdatas breeds in this neighbourhood in the cold weather, as 

 these young birds must have heen hatched, I should say from their 

 appearance, during the previous month.'' 



They make no nest but merely scrape a slight depression in the 

 soil (occasionally, it is said, thickly lined with grass), at some spot 

 more or less overhung or sheltered by a tuft of grass or a low bush, 

 and lay as a ride three, but not uncommonly only two, eggs. 



Mr. E. M. Adam says : " This very beautiful bird is common 

 about all the low ranges of hills near the Sambhur Lake, and 

 doubtless throughout the Aravallis. Sometimes it is met with under 

 the shade of the 'tor' (Euphorbia royleana), about halfway up the 

 hills, but as a rule small parties are generally flushed at or near 

 the base of the hills where the ground is mostly stony. 



"My first nest was found on the 3rd April. I have since 

 obtained fresh eggs in May. The nest, I was told, was simply a 

 hollow scraped in the ground, with a number of small pieces of 

 stone round the edge and some loose grass for a lining. 



" The number of eggs in each nest varied from two to three, but 

 in one nest four were found. When fresh, the eggs vary from a 

 deep to very pale salmon-colour, but when blown the colour changes 

 in a fe\v days to a rich cream-colour, and all are pretty uniformly 

 spotted and speckled with light lavender and rusty. They are of 

 a blunt oval form, and measure in length 1*4 and in breadth nearly 

 an inch/' 



Writing from Chandah (Central Provinces), Mr. B. Thompson 

 says : " I send you two eggs of Pterocles fasciatus, which I took 

 on the 28th November in the Mohurli Forests. 



" The nest contained three eggs, of which one unfortunately got 

 broken. It was placed on the ground on a slight rise ; neatly and 

 well put together, saucer-like, made of dried grass, bits of dried 

 leaves of bamboo and other plants. The soil was sandy, with a thin 

 forest growing on it, and the nest was placed under the shade of a 

 small tree. There was no cover in the immediate vicinity of the 

 nest ; in fact, for three or four yards all round there was nothing 

 but thin short grass. I accidentally arrived at the spot, and whilst 

 talking to a friend the female bird got up close at our feet, and I 

 saw the nest immediately after." 



Mr. J. Davidson, writing of Western Khaiidesh, says of this 

 bird : " Probably breeds at all seasons, as 1 have taken eggs in 

 November, January, March, and May/' 



And this gentleman and Mr. H. Wenden, writing of the Deccan, 

 say : " Numerous in various suitable localities, but not commonly 

 distributed. Breeds in March." 



Mr. E. C. Nunn sent me the first eggs of this species that I ever 

 sa\v, from Hoshuugabad. The eggs were of the usual long cylin- 

 drical Sand-Grouse type, but the coloration resembles that of 

 several of our Indian Nightjars, and but for the careful ex- 

 traction of the young chick, which accompanied the eggs in spirit, 



