TETRAOGALLUS 691 



of the back ; upper parts more marked with white, the outer webs of 

 secondaries white ; upper breast crossed by an irregular white band ; 

 under parts white with black stripes, which are bolder on the flanks ; 

 under tail-coverts black with broad terminal central white stripes ; middle 

 tail-feathers like the back, the rest brownish black tipped with rufous 

 buff; bill orange-red; legs coral-red; iris brown. Culmen T52, 

 wing 10'5, tail 67, tarsus 2*0 inch. Female similar but without the 

 spur. 



Hal. The mountains of Kan-su, Koko-nor, Eastern Turkestan 

 and Northern Tibet east to the Sanju Pass at from 10,000 to 

 16,000 feet altitude. 



In general habits it resembles T. attaints and is very wary 

 and shy. When at rest it utters a note like that of the domes- 

 tic hen, occasionally interrupted by a peculiar whistle ; when 

 alighting it utters click, click, click several times in succession ; 

 when settling down it makes a sound like goooo, goooo, and when 

 collecting its young its call-note is a whistle. Its eggs resemble 

 those of T. himalayensis, and measure about 2*4 by 17. 



966. ALTAI SNOW-PARTRIDGE. 

 TETRAOGALLUS ALTAICUS. 



Tetraogallus altaicus (Gebler), Bull. Sci. Acad. St. Petersb. i. p. 31 

 (1837) ; Gould, B. of As. vii. pi. 31 ; (Tacz.), F. O. Sib. O. p. 775 ; 

 Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxii. p. 110. 



$ ad. (Altai Mountains). Differs from T. himalayensis in having the 

 head, fore back, and upper breast pale blue-grey unmarked with chestnut ; 

 a patch in front of the eye, a narrow supercilium, chin, and middle of 

 upper throat white ; breast sparingly marked with white and black ; a 

 black line across the upper back ; rest of upper parts as in T. himalayensis, 

 but greyer and only marked with white ; primaries brown, not white on 

 basal portion ; under parts white, the thigh-feathers and lower flanks dark 

 slaty blackish ; bill blackish horn ; legs orange ; iris brown. Culmen 1'5, 

 wing 11-0, tail 7'0, tarsus 2*35 inch. 



Hob. The Altai Mountains. 



In habits and nidification this bird is said to resemble 

 T. himalayensis, and its eggs, which are deposited in May, re- 

 semble those of that species but are paler. One in my collection 

 measures 2 '64 by 2*0. 



z z 



