PTEEOCLES. 55 



Coloration. Male. Throat ferruginous chestnut, extending round 

 sides of neck and disappearing behind nape, paler also on chin ; a 

 triangular black patch on the throat, crown, and sides of the head ; 

 nape, lower neck all round, and upper breast pale earthy brown ; 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, scapulars, tertiaries, and inner 

 secondary-coverts blackish grey, each feather tipped with ochreous 

 yellow and pale fawn-coloured towards the base ; greater secondary 

 and primary coverts and edge of wing fawn-coloured, shaded darker ; 

 quills slaty grey externally, the shafts, the outer web of the 1st quill, 

 and the inner surface black ; tail-feathers buff barred with black, 

 middle pair tipped with greyish black, the others tipped with white ; 

 a, black gorget across the breast, which is buff not greyish brown 

 behind the gorget ; abdomen and flanks black ; wing-lining white ; 

 thighs, tarsi, and lower tail-coverts buffy white. 



female pale fawn, the head, neck, and upper breast spotted with 

 black shaft-streaks ; chin and throat yellowish, bounded behind by 

 a black line, beyond which the fore neck is ashy ; back and upper 

 parts, including the middle tail-feathers, with curved black cross- 

 bands irregular in direction ; the other reet rices, the quills, and 

 lower parts from the black pectoral gorget as in the male. 



Tail-feathers 16. 



Bill bluish grey ; irides brown ; feet grey (Hume). 



Length about 14; tail 4; wing 9'5 ; tarsus I'l ; bill from 

 gape -7. 



Distribution. From the Canary Islands and Spain on the west, 

 through North Africa and South-western Asia to Turkestan and 

 to North-western India, where this species is a cold-weather 

 migrant, arriving about the end of September and leaving in 

 March. It has been found as far east as Lucknow and, it is said, 

 Allahabad; it has also been recorded from Neeinuch and even 

 Khandesh, and it is found in Northern Gruxerat, all round the 

 Kunn of Cutch, and in Sind ; but it is most common in the 

 Punjab and the neighbouring tracts on the borders of the desert. 



Habits, fyc. InN.W. India this Sand-Grouse haunts great sandy 

 plains, within access of water, in large flocks. It lives on small 

 seeds, and drinks morning and evening. It does riot breed, so far 

 as is known, in India ; but Barnes found its eggs in S. Afghanistan 

 in May. 



1317. Pterocles fasciatus. The Painted Sand-Grouse. 



Tringa fasciata, Scop. Del. Flor. et Faun. Insub. ii, p. 92 (1786). 



Pterocles quadricinctus, apud Jerd. Madr. Jour. L. S. xii, p. 4 ; id. 

 111. Ind. Orn. pis. 10, 36 ; Burgess, P. Z. S. 1855, p. 30. 



Pterocles fasciatus, Elyt h, Cat. p. 249 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 498 ; 

 King, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 216; Beavan, Ibis, 1868, 

 p. 378 ; Blanford, J. A. S. B. xxxviii, pt. 2, p. 188 ; Hume, 

 J. A. S. B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 121 ; McMaster, J.A.S. B. xl, pt. 2, 

 p. 214 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 249 ; Hume, N. $ E. 

 p. 511 ; Hayes Lloyd, Ibis, 1873, p. 415 ; Adam, S. F. i, p. 391 ; 

 Ball, S. F. ii, p. 426 ; iii, p. 293 ; vii, p. 225 ; Butler, S. F. iv, p. 4 ; 

 v, p. 231 ; ix, p. 421 ; Fail-bank, S. F. iv, p. 262 ; Davidson $ Wend. 



