JOURNAL 



OF THE 



Bombay Natural History Society. 



April 1913. Vol. XXII. No. 1. 



THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 



BY 



E. C. Stuart Baker, F.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 



Part IX. 



With Plate IX. 



(Continued frmn page 1128 of Volume XXI.) 



Order— PTUBOGLETUS. 



The order Pterodetes contains but one Family, Pferodidce, and the 

 distinguishing characteristics of the order and the famil^y are 

 therefore the same and are dealt with under one head. 



Familj—PTUBOGLIDJE. 



The Sand-Grouse, or Pigeon-Grouse, as Huxlej' happily named 

 them, constitute an order of one family, which comes half way 

 between the Pigeons and Doves, Columbce, and the GaUince, or 

 true Game Birds to which latter they are very closely allied, 

 through the real Grouse. In general external appearance they 

 are, perhaps, more nearly like the true Grouse than any other 

 game-bird, but they have also a strong resemblance to Pigeons in 

 build, carriage of head, etc., though both feet and bill are Galline. 



In the Pigeons the toes are broad and well fitted for perching, 

 whereas in the Sand-Grouse they are more fitted for ground-work, 

 as in the Galline birds ; the bill also has no cere, or soft skin over 

 the basal half as have the Golumhoe. Both Pterodidce and Golumhoe 

 have 1 1 primaries and the 5th secondary wanting ; whereas the 

 Gallinw have only 10 primaries, but possess a 5th secondary. In 

 all these orders the muscles of the thighs and legs are similar. 

 The flexor perforans digitomm is attached to the flexor lorn jus hallucis 

 1 



