296 NOTES. 



- by dissection. The sexes scarcely differ in plumage, but the 

 I male is just a shade darker everywhere on the upper surface, 

 I and the buff of the breast is a trifle brighter and more ochra- 

 ceous orange. 



The occasional range of Pterocles coronatus within our 

 limits is considerably more entensive than I suspected. Lieute- 

 nant W. W. Lean writes to me under date the 7th of October : — 



"Two males of the Coronetted Sand-Grouse were shot within 

 three miles of this post, (Fort Jumrood, near the mouth of the 

 Khyber Pass) this morning by Dr. Julian Smith. The flock 

 (some 20 in number) was first seen flying from the direction of 

 the Khyber uttering their peculiar cry. Suddenly they separated 

 preparatory to alighting along a nullah, which crosses a very 

 stony plain, to drink. 



" The largest of the birds measures 12 inches in length and 

 23'25 in expanse, and weighs 23 rupees, say 8^ ozs. 



" The colouring of the plate in "The Game Birds" is, as 

 you say, defective. The occiput is really cinnamon and not 

 burnt sienna ; the blue grey superciliary stripe forms a com- 

 plete ring, a little white intervening between it and the eye. The 

 orange of the plate should be more of a yellow ochre, which 

 goes rather lower down than itis shown in the plate, and is con- 

 tinued on across the back of the neck, thus forming a ring. 

 The yellow tinge of the plate is replaced by stone grey or rather 

 a mixture of cinnamon and grey stone, and the burnt sienna 

 and sepia shades are replaced by stone and brown. 



" The neck is not thick, but Dove-like — in fact in shape exactly 

 like that of the male Spotted Sand-Grouse as depicted in the 

 plate. 



" I can only find small seeds and gravel in their crops." 



When first noticing the occurrence of Erismaiura leucoce- 

 phala near Khelat-i-Gilzai in South Afghanistan, and describing 

 the species, I predicted that it would before long be found to 

 straggle to the Punjab and Sindh. 



This prediction has been already fulfilled, and Mr. F. Pield, 

 U.C.S., Punjab, has just kindly sent me a specimen of a duck 

 that he was unable to identify, which proves to be a 3 r oung bird 

 of this present species. He says : " I shot this bird on the 28th 

 of October at the " old nullah," about a mile from the Civil- 

 Station of Loodhiana, Punjab. It was sitting alone in a pool. 

 I stalked up close behind some reeds, and then showed myself, 

 expecting to see it fly. All it did was to cock its little stiff, 

 thin pointed tail, and swim off in a quiet way for some ten yards. 

 Its appearance, while swimming with its tail turned upwards, was 

 most peculiar. I tried to frighten it into flying, but it would 



