278 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



yellow ; tail-feathers pointed, tipped with the same, but 

 lighter. Length, 10J" ; wing, 7" ; tail, 3". 



Q: colour throughout, rich nankin, confusedly barred 

 with deep brown; paler on the under side; under tail- 

 coverts immaculate; wing- feathers as in male. 



The " Namaqua Patrys " of the colonists is very abundant on the 

 arid karroo plains throughout the colony and JNamaqualand. It 

 congregates in small parties of one or two families, as may easily be 

 seen from the age of the various individuals, which is marked by 

 their plumage. It runs with considerable swiftness, and its flight is 

 extremely rapid. While on the wing, it utters a shrill " tweet," 

 which may be heard at a vast distance, and resembles the piping of a 

 plover, for which, till well accustomed to the sound I have often mis- 

 taken it indeed, the whole appearance of the bird, whether flying or 

 running, reminds one, of the plover. It occasionally, during great 

 droughts, extends its migrations as far as the Cape Flats ; but of late 

 years their visitations have been few and far between. It lays from 

 seven to ten eggs, of a light cream-coloured ground, spotted with 

 brown and purple, oblong, rounded, or semi-circular at both ends : 

 axis, 17'" ; diameter, 12'". The crops of those I have examined con- 

 tained masses of small grass seeds. 



O 538. PterOCleS BieinctUS, Temm. ; Vieill, Gal. 

 de Ok, t. 220 ; Guv., Vol. 3, p. 43 ; Shaw, Vol. 11, 

 p. 307. 



$ : above, ashy-brown, with triangular white spots and 

 reddish-brown bars ; top of head, reddish-brown, with longi- 

 tudinal dark stripes; forehead black, with a small white 

 patch at the base of the bill, and a larger over each eye ; 

 chin, sides of heard, and throat, dirty nankin colour ; chest 

 ashy ; between it and the belly, two bands, the first white, 

 the second black ; belly dirty-white, minutely barred with 

 very dark- brown ; under tail-coverts, bright rufous nankin, 

 sparingly barred with arrow-headed black markings. 



9 : not unlike that of Pterocles Tachypetcs. Length, 9" ; 

 wing, 7"; tail, 3". 



Specimens of this sand grouse have been received from Kuruman, 

 through the late Mr. R. Moffat, and from Mr. Arnot, at Colesberg. 

 It does not appear south of the Orange River. Mr. Arnot's speci- 

 mens came from the northern bank. 



537. Pterocles Gutturalis, Smith, Zoology of 



S. Af.. PL 3 and 31. 



5 : upper surface of head, dull-green, faintly freckled 

 with black ; sides of head and chin, straw-yellow; eyebrows, 

 yellowish- white ; space between the eye and the bill, black ; 



