8YRRHAPTES. 63 



1323. Syrrhaptes tibetanus. The Tibetan Sand- Grouse. 



Syrrhaptes tibetanus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1850, p. 92 ; id. B. Asia, vi, 

 p. 61 ; Stanford, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 71 ; Hume fy Henders. 

 Lah. to Yark. p. 279: Hume, S. F. vii, pp. 162, 425; id. Cat. 

 no. 802 bis ; Hume Sf Marsh, Game B. i, p. 43 ; hharpe, Yarkand 

 Miss., Aves, p. 119 ; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 5. 

 Kuk, Kaling, Ladak. 



Coloration. Forehead, lores, cheeks, and chin white, or whitish, 

 sometimes speckled ; crown rather irregularly barred across, black 

 and white ; sides of head, throat, and a band extending nearly or 

 sometimes quite round the neck, deep ochreous yellow ; lower neck 

 all round narrowly barred with whitish and black ; this passes into 



Fig. 11. Sole of foot of S. tibetamis. 



the pale fawn with fine dusky vermiculation of the back, scapulars, 

 tertiaries, and wing-coverts ; inner webs of scapulars partly black, 

 forming large black spots ; primary-coverts light brown, greater 

 coverts and quills black, later primaries with oblique pale tips, later 

 secondaries and tertiaries passing gradually into the colour of the 

 back; rump and upper tail-coverts whitish, rather more coarse! v 

 vermiculated with black ; middle tail-feathers the same but tinged 

 with rufous, the loug tips black, outer tail-feathers light chesinut 

 with a few distant black cross-bars and white tips ; upper breast 

 finely barred ; lower breast uniform pale greyish brown, passing 

 into white on abdomen ; wing-liuing brown, whitish near ed^e. 



In the females the markings on the upper parts, especially on 

 the back and scapulars, are coarser, being irregular bars, not mere 

 vermiculation ; and the whole breast is barred. 



Bill and nails bluish, soles whitish (Hume). 



Length of male 19 ; tail 7'5 to 9'5 ; wing 10'2o : tarsus 1-1 ; 

 bill from gape '6. In females the length is about 17 ; tail 7-8-4; 

 wing ( J'75. 



Distribution. Resident in Tibet and on the Pamir at elevations 

 above 12,000 feet, perhaps lower in winter, extending to the 

 country north of Sikhim and to Koko-nor. Common in Ladak 

 and the Upper Sutlej valley. 



Habits, $c. The Tibetan Sand-Grouse is found on barren saudv 

 plains near water, fresh or brackish. It is a very noisy bird, often 

 repeating its clanging double note when on the. wing. Some caged 

 birds that were given to me on the N. frontier of Sikhim constantly 

 uttered this call. The flight is swift. This species drinks before 

 sunrise and at dusk in the evening. The eggs have not been taken. 



