MASON AND LEFROY. 223 



1316. Pterocles arenarius. Large or Black-bellied Sand-grouse. 

 As to food I have been often assured that they eat insects freely f 

 I can only say that I have examined the stomachs of scores without 

 ever finding anything in them beyond small seeds and grains of 

 various kinds and little pieces of grass and herbs. On one or two 

 occasions I have no doubt seen a single ant or tiny beetle, but these 

 were, I believe, picked up by accident along with some seed or other, 

 and swallowed involuntarily. There are always, or almost always, 

 small stones usually quartz pebbles in the stomach. H. M. G. B. I. 

 I, 50. Small seeds. F. I. IV, 55. 



1317. P. fas'iatus. Painted Sand-grouse. In the mornings 

 they may always be found in the scrub and amongst the grass and 

 rocks at the bases of hills, and even in small patches of cultivation, 

 here and there dotted about these, where they feed on grain, seeds 

 and the like ; not at all, so far as I have observed, on insects. On 

 the 4th of January 1868 I shot 13 brace the crops of everyone 

 of which I noted contained exclusively ' Moth/ a common Indian 

 pulse. H. M. G. B. I. I, 60. 



1318. P. lichtensteini. Closed-barred Sand-grouse. In the 

 forenoon and again towards evening they forage together busily, 

 and feed then in cultivated places in maize, indigo, and cotton fields' 

 at threshing floors on roads frequented by caravan and in valleys 

 where there is wild vegetation. H. M. G. B. I. I, 66. 



1320. Pterodurus alchata. Large Pin-tailed Sand-grouse. 

 Entirely on green leaves, seeds, small pulse and grain of different 

 kinds. The gizzards contained quantities of small stories. H. M. G. 

 B. I. G., 78. 



1321. P. exustus. Common Sand-grouse. They feed on 

 various hard seeds, especially on those of various Alysicarpi, Desmo- 

 dium, &c., as well as on grass, seed or grain. Jerd. B. I. B., 503. At 

 waters edge pick up fragments of sand or gravel. They live wholly 

 on seeds, and no small seeds seem to come amiss to them. I have 

 found millet, grass, seeds, pulses of various kinds, and all kinds of, 

 to me, unknown seeds in their crops, but very seldom a single in* 



