228 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HLST. SOCIETY, Vol XXIL 



As one would expect from its habits the Painted Sand-Grouse de- 

 posits its eggs, as a rule, in ravines, broken ground, etc., where 

 there is certain amount of cover and, in the Central Provinces actually 

 in forest land. As a rule it makes no nest at all, though a few odd 

 pieces of grass may, perchance, collect in the hollow it scratches 

 out in the earth before depositing its eggs. Sometimes, however, 

 it does make some pretence of a nest, collecting a few bents and 

 grasses and fashioning these, by pressure only, into a hollow cup, 

 fitting the depression already made in the earth. Mr. E. Thomp- 

 son also describes a nest which would appear to have been yet a 

 further advance in architectural skill. " The nest contained three 

 eggs, of which one unfortunately got broken. It was placed on 

 the ground on a slight rise ; neatly and well put together saucer 

 like, made of dried grass, bits of dried leaves of bamboo and other 

 plants. The soil was sandy, with a thin forest growing on it, and 

 the nest was placed under the shade of a small tree. There was no 

 cover in the immediate vicinity of the nest ; in fact, for three or 

 four yards all round there was nothing but short thin grass. I 

 accidentally arrived at the spot, and whilst talking to a friend, the 

 female bird got up close at oiir feet, and I saw the nest immedi- 

 ately." (Hume.) 



Ordinaril}^, however, it makes no nest at all and nearly all obser- 

 vers write to this effect. Capt. Mosse gives me an interesting 

 account of some young birds found by him. He writes : "I have 

 only once come across a nest. This was on the 14th March 1904, 

 in Kathiawar. I was at the time riding through a Bastard Teak 

 jungle and dismounting to investigate the cause of a slight tempo- 

 rary lameness of my pony, caught sight of a pair of bright eyes fixed 

 upon me a few feet away. The owner of the bright eyes being- 

 approached still nearer, rose and shewed herself to be a Painted 

 Sand-GixDuse. The nest which was merely a slight depression, 

 unlined, contained two young ones a few days old. They were 

 quaint little objects, which flattened themselves down as close to the 

 ground as possible, and they had a peciTliarly flattened out shape 

 which enabled them the better to do so. Their covering was of a 

 peculiar flaky character, neither down nor feathers, but something 

 between the two, and their colour was a ^miform brown, the exact 

 shade of the surrounding earth. " 



The normal nu.mber of eggs in a clutch is undoubtedly three, 

 thoiigh very often two only are laid and very rarely four may be 

 found ; such a clutch having been taken by Mr. R. M. Adam. They 

 are in shape elliptical, both ends being equal, as is the case with the 

 eggs of all Sand-Grouse, and they are much the same in size as 

 those of the Common Sand-Grouse (P. exustus) but average a shade 

 longer and a trifle less broad. Hiinie thus describes the large series 

 which have passed through his hands. " As a body they are very 



