2 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXII. 



by a fibrous vinculum, the former supplying the three front toes, 

 and the latter, as usual, the hallux, or hind toe. The ambiens 

 muscle is present, except in a few pigeons. The femoro-caudal, 

 except in Peafowl and Turkeys, the accessory femora-caudal, the 

 semi-tendinosus and accessory semi-tendinosus ai^e all present as 

 well as both carotids, except in the Megapodes. 



The keel of the sternum is very high, and there are usually two 

 notches on each side of the posterior margin, but the inner is 

 sometimes reduced to a foramen. 



The gall bladder is present and the Sand-Grouse possess a nude 

 oil gland and their contour feathers have aftershafts. 



Palate schizognathous ; nasals generally schizorhinal, but very 

 variable ; basipterygoid processes present ; cervial vertibrae 15 or 

 16. 



The dorsal feather-tract has an interscapulary fork and the 

 lateral bare tracts extend on the shoulders as far as the base of the 

 neck. 



Pigeons, of course, have their young hatched naked and singu- 

 larly helpless, but the young of the Sand-grouse are covered with 

 richly coloured down and are able to run, and, to some extent, feed 

 themselves directly they leave the egg. 



The tarsus is well feathered in all the genera of this family, in 

 one the feathering extending also to the toes. They are birds of 

 swift powerful flight with comparatively long wings. 



The order contains but three genera, Pterocles and Pteroclurus, 

 which are very closely allied, and Syrrhaptes which is fairly 

 distinct. All three genera have representatives in India, and 

 some species are to be found in Africa, South and Central Europe 

 and Asia. 



Most Sand-Grouse are migratory and in all species the two 

 sexes differ in plumage, the male bird being much the most 

 brilliantly coloured. 



KEY TO THE GENERA. 



a. A hind toe present. Tarsus only feathered 

 in front and toes naked. 



a' Middle tail feathers normal Pterocles. 



b' Middle tail feathers pointed and 



longer than the others Pteroclunis. 



h. No hind toe ; tarsus feathered throughout 



and toes also feathered Syrrliaptes. 



Ogilvie Grant distinguishes 16 species altogether, of which 

 ■exactly half are found in India. 



The Genus— 1TER0CLP:S. 



The first of our genera Pterocles is also the largest, containing 



