1878.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE PTEROCLID.E. 249 



SilT , T fcpl f e8 ' Un 1 J ll0W ? in MaIa «ar, in wooded districts of 

 Central India, m Lower Bengal, and in Assam, Sylhet, and Bnrmah 



ta£ lL H^&^i ^ Ulljaub ( AdamS > 5 Ahmedn^ar dis- 

 trict, Khandala {Fairbanks) ; Chotah Nagpur (Ball) ■, Oudh 

 (Irty) ; common m Sindh (Hume); Sambhui -lake (Ada, 1) ■ Um- 

 ballah and Morar (Beavan) ; Kattiawar (Lloyd). ' 



thl^TT^ ?*¥' ? hl ?% states (/ - c - } > is the most abundant °f 



he various lands of Sand-Grouse met with in Egypt, and ranges 



H° , 13t C T tlT ' " WeU " Nubia - lt Soe^n 'small fl | s 

 uttering, when on the wing, a peculiar loud note which is heard for 

 a considerable distance in the morning and evening, when on their 

 way to their drmking-places. The localities in which he found them 

 mo S abundant were Fayoom, Golosaneh, Karnak, and between 



rtfcftM ° mh A J tS ! ieSt is ^P* a hoIe in the sa ^ lined 



with dried grass ; and it breeds in April. 



According to Jerdon this is the most common Sand-Grouse found 

 m India, and is met with in every part of the country, except in the 

 wooded districts. It frequents the open plains and ploughed Tands 

 or fallow fields This species feeds early in the morning, and be- 



TZffi "? , ^ ° d °f k g °/ S t0 drink ' and a S aiu ^*e water 

 at about four o clock in the afternoon. At such times thousands 



congregate at these places; and they come from all quarters, fldng 



PIS" ali eig Th a r in r UCinS thdr preSCnCe h ? a P £Culiar W 

 flv off S T f-i J , bUt a m ° ment at the wa ter-side, and then 



fly off. They are difficult to approach, and when on the ground can 

 hardly be distinguished from it, the colour of their plumL assimi- 

 lating so closely. This Sand-Grouse feeds on various hard ed 

 especially of the Alysicarpi, Desmodiurn, &c, as well as on g as7 

 seeds and grain It breeds in the Deccan and Southern India^om 

 December to May, and still later in Central India. The ets ar™ 



with"! bar f§ r0Und ' and are of a greenish colour, thickly spotted 

 with grey and brown, and nearly of the same thickness at both ends 

 If kept some time after be ng killed, this bird is very good as an 

 article of food. In Oudh, says Capt. Irby, this suedes is verv 

 common on the sandy plains from January 7 *, July" Two egg7 

 which he found in June, resembled in size and markings thoafof 

 Caprimulyuseuropaus; and if there had been any trees near the 

 pace, he would have referred them to some s^fof Goat- 

 sucker. Dr. Adams says that this bird, when wounded, spreads out 



ofchud-^s Tikf f i S \ hCad T d l V thG b ** » d -S Teri L 

 of chuckles like a fowl. As with the same species in India he 



found he flesh very dry, and the only possible way of making them 



fit for the table was to remove the skin before cooking them g 



vJftf^fhX / ei fu Upper P arts > and breast sandy buff, 

 JC ? St ' 3nd havl "S a § ree »ish shade on the back 



1 hi oat orange. Across the breast at the shoulders is a narrow bfack 

 band, occasionally edged on its upperside with white. Res of 

 underpay bright chesnut, with the centre of the abdomen black 



HnS-H 8 l \ b& t eaCh f6ather margined at the "pwith a narrow 

 line of blackish chestnut, and the outer webs of secondaries 7nd 



