PALLAS SAND GROUSE. 183 



tipped also with a circle of black, and the secondaries 

 are terminated with reddish-brown, forming a bar of 

 that colour across the wings. The wings are long, 

 the outer feather surpassing the others, and lengthened 

 to a fine narrow point : in the same way are the 

 centre feathers of the tail much extended beyond the 

 others, and terminate in the same kind of narrow se- 

 taceous plume. 



The feet of this bird are very extraordinary. Ac- 

 cording to Delanoue, who appears to be the only 

 one who has seen them alive, the toes are so short 

 as to be scarcely distinguishable, the centre one only 

 deserving that appellation, and they are covered to 

 the claws with thick down, these parts being alone 

 observable without putting aside the covering. The 

 consequence is a slow, and, as it were, painful man- 

 ner of walking ; while on the contrary, the flight is 

 rapid and high. The same traveller found the nest 

 of the female among some stones collected under a 

 shrub, containing four eggs of a reddish-white spotted 

 with brown. The nest was perfectly simple, con- 

 structed with only a few stalks of grass, and the fe- 

 male exhibited the utmost solicitude for her precious 

 deposit. The female differs little from the male, ex- 

 cept in size, and a little less brilliancy of plumage. 



The genus Syrrhaptes was established by Illiger 

 for the reception of this curious bird, and M. Tem- 

 minck dedicated the only species yet known to the 

 celebrated Pallas, its first describer. The next bird 

 is more typical of this beautiful little group ; it is 



