PTEBOCLID^ PTEROCLES 187 



It is found during the day singly or in pairs scattered over the 

 grassy veld in search of seeds and berries which form its food; 

 in the morning and evening it resorts in large numbers, often 

 in company with the other sandgrouse, to watering places, circling 

 round high up in the air and descending very suddenly with a dash. 

 Its note is less shrill and piping than that of the other species. 

 The eggs are described by Layard as pale dull greenish-brown 

 spotted with light brown and indistinct purple, and further spotted 

 with dark brown. Eriksson states that three eggs of this bird 

 were brought to him by one of his hunters ; they were laid on the 

 bare sand in a small depression. 



2/ut^vv\>*-^-^--^^y s 



644. Pterocles gutturalis. Yellow -throated Sandgrouse. 



Pterocles gutturalis, Smith, Report Exped. C. Afr. p. 56 (1836) ; id. 

 Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pis. 3 (male), 31 (female), (1838-9) ; 

 Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 278 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 297, 1871, p. 

 268, 1878, p. 298, 1885, p. 346 ; BucUeij, Ibis, 1874, p. 385 ; Elliot, 

 P. Z. S. 1878, p. 241 ; Gates, Mataleleland, p. 323 (1881) ; Holub & 

 Pelz. Om. Siid- Afr. p. 182 -(1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 359 ; Sharpe, 

 ed. Eayard's B. 8. Afr. p. 577 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, 

 Sportsm. 8. A. p. 112, pi. xi, figs. 54, 55 (1892) ; Grant, Cat. B. M. 

 xxii, p. 25 (1893) : Bryden, Gun and Camera, pp. 289, 477 with fig. 

 (1893) ; Grant, Game Birds, i, p. 19 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 184 

 (1896) ; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 305 (1900) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, 

 p. 573. 



" Nacht Patrijs " of the Dutch. 



Description. Adult Male. Crown of the head dusky-black ; 

 back and wings yellowish -olive, with black bases to the feathers ; 

 primaries, primary coverts and inner secondaries black with pale 

 tips and edges ; tail-feathers 16 in number, centre pair like the back, 

 lateral ones black tipped and barred with chestnut ; a black band 

 from the base of the bill to the eye ; eyebrow, chin, throat, cheeks 

 and ear coverts very pale yellow, followed by a semicircular black 

 band running up to behind the ear- coverts ; breast bluish- grey, 

 deepening into a rich chestnut on the abdomen, under tail-coverts 

 and thighs, the latter showing strong traces of transverse black 

 barring. 



Iris dusky brown, bill light bluish-horn, toes dusky. 



Length about 11-0; wing 8-5 ; tail 3'75; culmen -65; tarsus 1-5. 



The female is buffy-yellow , variegated and speckled with black 

 above ; the primaries and their coverts black, as in the male ; chin, 



