8 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIJ^TY, Vol. XXII. 



within reasonable flight of the larger rivers, to which they resort 

 to drink, they are often found at great distance from any water. 

 When there are no rivers near enough, they will then drink at the 

 nearest tank and even at quite small ponds or pools. 



Hume thus describes the kind of country most frequented by 

 this Grouse. He says : " I have but seldom met with them on 

 stubbles (though they affect these a good deal, I hear, in some parts 

 of the country), or in any ground under crop, nor have I ever 

 found them on or about the more or less scrub-clad bases of the 

 low hills, so common in Eajputana. Wide, open sandy plains are 

 their favourite resorts ; and, though they do sometimes feed on 

 bare ploughed lands, it is rare to find them on these, except when 

 basking in the early morning or when taking their mid-day siesta. 

 This, like all the Sand-Grouse, they alwaj^s take when the sun is 

 hot, though on cold, cloudy, gloomy days, they are moving the 

 whole day. They bustle about in the sand or loose loam, like old 

 hens, until they have worked out a depression that fits them, and 

 then in this they sit a little on one side, first with one wing a 

 little under them and the uppermost one a little opened, and then, 

 after a time, they shift over to the other side, so as to give the other 

 wing its turn of grilling. During their siesta they are never 

 closely packed ; they are scattered about irregularly, one here, two 

 or three there, and so on ; and though at this time you may 

 generally by circling get within reach of them, they are by no 

 means all asleep, and the instant you halt or raise a gun, or fix your 

 eyes on any of them, the alarm note is sounded, and they are off 

 with a strong rapid flight, which most of us, at one time or 

 another, have found too much for the second barrel." 



" In part of the country where they have not been shot at, 

 especially when they first arrive, you may easily approach within 

 thirty yards, shoot two or three on the ground, and perhaps a 

 couple more as they rise, but after having been worried a good 

 deal they become the wildest birds imaginable, and then the only 

 plan is to get them driven over you, which, with good native 

 fowlers, is almost a certainty, and affords at the same time most 

 difiicult shooting and capital sport. It takes a straight ejQ, No. 3, 

 shot and a hard-hitting gun, to bring down a clean-killed right and 

 left out of a party going over you, 30 to 35 yards high, at the 

 pace these birds can go. " 



They are very regular and punctual in visiting their drinking 

 places, more especially in the morning, for this species of Grouse 

 does not seem to always drink in the evenings. As a rule, the 

 first few birds appear at the river or tank, as the case may be, 

 within an hour and a half after simrise and flocks continue to 

 arrive for about two hours, or rather less, after which, it is quite 

 useless waiting for other birds to come. In the evening, if they 



