bij Ml'. Claude Grant in South Africa. 37 



East Africa. It is strictly a ground-bird, only pitching on 

 trees and shrubs when alarmed. It is said also to breed on the 

 ground, but I have never succeeded in discovering the nest. 

 The call is '' goo/' aljout eight times repeated, the third or 

 fourth note being highest in tone and the last two rather 

 quickly repeated. 



The soft parts of an adult are : — Irides plum-coloured ; 

 bare skin round the eye crimson ; legs and toes dull crimson. 

 In a specimen from the Cape Peninsula the leg and toes are 

 red-brown ; and in another from Zululandthe irides are red. 

 In the young the irides are yellow and the legs and toes 

 reddish brown.] 



645. Pterocles bicinctus. 



Tv. Klein Letaba, Sept. (1) ; P. Tete, Aug. (2). 



[I saw this Sand-Grouse at Klein Letaba and at Tete, while 

 it occasionally visited certain dams near Pietersburg. These 

 birds do not appear to be truly gregarious, they are generally 

 found during the daytime lying up in sandy spots in pairs, 

 sometimes three together. They always drink just on or 

 after sundown, and then several are seen coming together, 

 probably having joined company en I'oute. At times they 

 must drink later, as on the 3rd of September, 1907, I heard 

 Sand-Grouse coming away from water at 10.30 p.m. Going 

 to and from water they have a curious whistling call, and 

 on rising after drinking, the wings cause that vibrating 

 " whistle " peculiar to the Sand-Grouse. 



The soft parts of an adult are : — Irides brown ; bare skin 

 round eyes yellow; bill yellowish horn-coloured.] 



646. Pteroclurus namaqua. 



CC. Klipfontein, Apl., May, June (9). 



[Namaqualand is the only locality in which I have seen 

 this species since the Central Cape Colony trip. Although 

 Namaqualand is said to be its home, I found it far less 

 plentiful there than in Central Cape Colony. Namaqua Sand- 

 Grouse are distinctly gregarious and are partial to the sandy 

 flats at any altitude. They drink just at sundown, and I 



