SAND-GROUSE 805 



SAND-GROUSE, the name 1 by which are commonly known 

 the members of a small but remarkable group of birds frequenting 

 sandy tracts, and having their feet more or less clothed with 

 feathers after the fashion of GROUSE, to which they were originally 

 thought to be closely allied, and the species first described were by 

 the earlier systematists invariably referred to the genus Tetrao. 

 Their separation therefrom is due to Temminck, who made for 

 them a distinct genus which he called Pterodesf and his view, as 

 Lesson tells us (Traitt, p. 515), was subsequently corroborated by 

 De Blainville ; while in 1831 Bonaparte (Saggio &c. p. 54) recognized 

 the group as a good Family, Pediophili or Pterodidse. Further 

 investigation of the osteology and pterylosis of the Sand-Grouse 

 revealed still greater divergence from the normal GALLING, as well 

 as several curious resemblances to the Pigeons ; and Prof. Huxley 

 (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1868, p. 303) for sufficiently weighty reasons, pro- 

 posed to regard them, under the name of PTEROCLOMORPH^E, as 

 forming a group equivalent to the ALECTOROMORPH^E and PERISTER- 

 OMORPH^E. 3 The group consists of two genera 4 Pterocles, with 

 about fifteen species, arid Syrrhaptes, with two. Of the former, two 

 species inhabit Europe, P. arenarius, the Sand-Grouse proper, and 

 that which is usually called P. alchata, the Pin-tailed Sand-Grouse. 

 The European range of the first is practically limited to Portugal, 

 Spain and the southern parts of Russia, while the second inhabits 

 also the south of France, where it "is generally known by its 

 Catalan name of " Ganga," or locally as " Grandaulo" or, strange to 

 say, " Perdrix d'Angleterre" Both species are also abundant in 

 Barbary, and have been believed to extend eastwards through Asia 

 to India, in most parts of which country they seem to be only 

 winter- visitants ; but in 1880 Herr Bogdanow pointed out (Bull. Ac. 

 Sc. Petersb. xxvii. p. 164) a slight difference of coloration between 

 eastern and western examples of what had hitherto passed as 

 P. alchata ; and the difference, if found to be constant, may require 

 the specific recognition of each. India, where these birds are com- 

 monly known to sportsmen as " Rock-Pigeons," moreover, possesses 



1 It seems to have been first used by Latham in 1783 (Gen. Synops. iv. p. 751) 

 as the direct translation of the name Tetrao arenarius given by Pallas. 



2 He states (Man. d'Orn. ed. 2, ii. p. 474, note) that he published this name 

 in 1809 ; but hitherto research has failed to find it used until 1815. 



3 Some more recent writers, recognizing the group as a distinct Order, have 

 applied to it the name of "PTEROCLETES," while another calls it Heteroclitse. 

 The former of these words is based on a grammatical misconception, while the 

 use of the latter has long since been otherwise preoccupied in zoology. If there 

 be need to set aside Prof. Huxley's term, Bonaparte's Pediophili (as above 

 mentioned) may be accepted, and indeed has priority of all others. 



4 Bonaparte (Compt. rend. xiii. p. 880) proposed to separate the Pin-tailed 

 Sand-Grouse as Pterodurus, and therein has been followed by Mr. Ogilvie Grant 

 (Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxii. pp. 2, 6), but this separation seems needless. 



