652 TURTUR PTEROCLES 



Seroti fakhta, Biki, Hindu. 



<$ ad. (Burma). Head and nape dove-blue, a black collar round the 

 hind neck ; upper parts warm dark vinous red ; lower back, rump, upper 

 tail-coverts, and middle tail-feathers slaty blue, the last brownish towards 

 the tip ; remaining tail-feathers blackish slate on the basaJ, and greyish or 

 white on the terminal half ; quills brown ; chin pinkish white ; rest of 

 under parts warm rosy vinous, the under tail-coverts white ; bill black ; 

 legs vinous brown ; iris dark brown ; eyelids plumbeous. Culmen 0-68, 

 wing 5-4, tail 4'8, tarsus 0'8 inch. The female is brown above, greyish on 

 the head, rump, flanks, and edge of wing; breast brown tinged with 

 vinous. The young bird is brown and lacks the black collar. 



Hob. South-eastern Siberia and Japan (rare); Ala-shan: 

 Kan-su ; India, Burma and the Andamans ; China, Cochin 

 China, and the Philippines. 



Is said to be more shy than its congeners, and though it 

 frequents cultivated localities, it does not approach habitations. 

 It is not unfrequently found in small flocks, and its note is 

 short and deep. Like its congeners it builds a very slight nest 

 of sticks, which is placed on a tree or bush. In India it breeds 

 from January to July and in November, and its 2 eggs are 

 creamy white, and measure about 1'02 by 0'8. 



PTEROCLES, Temm., 1815. 



904. BLACK-BELLIED SAND-GROUSE. 

 PTEROCLES ARENARIUS 



Pterocles arenarius (Pall.), Nov. Com. Petrop. xix. p. 418, pi. viii. (1774) ; 

 Naum. vi. p. 258, Taf. 153 ; Gould, B. of E. iv. pi. 257 ; Dresser, 

 vii. p. 61, pi. 4615; Ogilvie Grant, Cat B. Br. Mus. xxii. p. 18 ; 

 Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 54. 



Cortiqol, Portug. ; Ortega, Corteza, Span. ; Koudhre, Arab. ; el 

 Koudri, Moor. ; Bhat-titar, Bakht, Hindu. 



cJ ad. (Spain). Crown, nape, and hind neck ashy pearl-grey ; back, 

 scapulars, lesser wing-coverts variegated greyish black and orange-clay 

 colour, the rump rather darker ; larger wing-coverts orange-yellow ; 

 secondaries marked with orange-yellow on the outer web ; primaries slate- 

 grey externally ; tail brownish ash tipped with white, the terminal 

 portion indistinctly barred with dark brown ; chin and upper throat 

 rusty red, becoming rusty orange on the sides of the neck, below this a 

 large black mark ; lower neck and breast isabelline pearl-grey, the latter 

 crossed by a distinct black stripe ; abdomen black ; bill dull horn-blue j 



