FTEROCLID^l PTEROCLES 185 



Family I. PTEROCLTD^E. 



Genus I. PTEROCLES. 



Type. 



Pterocles, Temm., Man. Ornith. p. 299 (1815) P. arenarius. 







Bill slender and arched, no cere; nostrils elongated, bordered 

 above by feathers ; wings pointed and long ; tarsi covered with 

 small feathers in front, reticulate behind ; toes naked, hallux small, 

 almost rudimentary, jointed above the level o the other toes ; tail 

 of fourteen or sixteen feathers, rounded, central feathers not pro- 

 duced beyond the others to any extent. 



This genus, containing some ten species, is spread all over Africa 

 including Madagascar, southern Europe and central and southern 

 Asia, from Spain to India. Three species occur within our limits. 



FIG. 59. Left foot of Pterocles bicinctus. x | 



Key of the Species. 



A. With little round white spots above and 

 below. 



a. Chin slaty -grey P.variegatus, <^,p. 186. 



b. Chin pale buff P.variegatus, ? , p. 186. 



J5. Not spotted with white above or below. 



a. Under tail-coverts uniform deep chestnut. 



a 1 . Throat yellow, bordered by a black line... P. gutturdlis, $, p. 187. 

 6 1 . Throat yellow without a black band ... P. gutturalis, ?,p. 187. 



b. Under tail-coverts closely barred with black. 

 a 1 . Chest uniform olive, followed by a bar of 



white and another of black P. bicinctus, $ , p. 189. 



6 1 . Throat spotted, rest of lower surface 



barred with black P. bicinctus, ? , p. 189. 



