THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 11 



the secondary are similar in size and shape, but are lavender grey 

 and neutral tint in colour, some quite dark. 



The surface is fine and smooth with a strong gloss and the shape 

 is the normal elliptical one of all Sand-Grouse. They vary very 

 greatly in size, more so I think than the eggs of any other Sand- 

 Grouse do. The eggs recorded in the British Museum Catalogue 

 taken from Northern Africa and included under the species Ptero- 

 clidurus belong, as I have already said, to the Indian form. These 

 eggs vary from 1-65" to 1-96" in length and from 1-15" to 1-3" 

 in breadth. I have no egg which does not come between the 

 extremes of length given here, but I have one which is only 1-11" 

 (28*3 mm.) in breadth. The average of 28 eggs in my collection 

 is 1-83" X 1-18" (26-5 x 30-0 mm.). 



Pteroclurus exustus. 

 The Common 8ancl-Grouse. 



Pterocles exustus.— Temm. PI. Col. v, Nos. 354 and 360 (1825) ; 

 Blyth. Cat. B. As. Soc, p. 249 ; Gould, B. of Asia, vi; Jerdon, B. 

 of Ind. iii, p. 502; Blanford, Geol. and Faun. Abyss, p. 419; id. 

 J. A. S. B., xxxviii, pt. ii, p. 189 ; McMaster, ihidj, xL, pt. 

 ii, p. 214; Stoliczka, ibid, xli, pt. ii, p. 249; Hume, Str. Feath. 

 i, p. 225; Adam, ibid, p. 392; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 513; 

 King, Str. Feath. ii, p. 458 ; Butler, ibid, iv., p. 4; Fairbank, ibid, 

 p. 262; Hume and Marsh., Game-B. i, p. 69; Hume, Str. Feath. 

 vii, p. 161, Ball, ibid, p. 225; Doig, ibid, viii, p. 371; Mc 

 Inroy, ibid, p. 492 ; Hume, Cat., No. 802 ; Butler, Cat. B. of Sind, 

 etc., p. 53; id. Cat. B. S. Bombay, p. 67; id, Str. Feath. ix, p. 

 421 ; Eeid, ibid, x, p. 61 ; Davidson, ibid, p. 316; Barnes, B. of 

 Bombay, p. 300 ; id. Jour. B. N. H. Soc. i., p. 55 ; id. ibid, v., 

 p. 336 ; Oates, Humes Nests and Eggs, 2nd Edit., p. 361 ; Newn- 

 ham, Jour. B. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 94; Nurse, ibid, xiv, p. 172. 



Pteroclurus exustus. — Ball, Str. Feath. ii, p. 426 ; Ogilvie-Grant, 

 Cat. B. M., xxii, p. 12 ; Oates, Game B. of Ind. i., p. 26 ; Blanford, 

 Avifauna, Ind., iv,, p. 60; Ogilvie-Grant, Game-B. i., p. 12; Le 

 Mess., Game-B., 4th Edit., p. 58. 



Pterocidurus exustus. — Sharpe, Hand-Bl. i, p. 50 ; Oates, Cat. 

 Eggs, B. M. I, p. 77. 



Vernacular names. — Bhat-titur, Bakht-titur, Kumar-tit Kakar, 

 Dangar Rowrie (H.) ; Butabur, Batibun (Si7id) ; Popandi (JBliiT); 

 Pakorade (Mahr) ; Jam polanka (Tel); Kal-Gorjal-Haki; (Can. 

 Mysore) ; Kal-handari (Tamil.) 



Bescription, Adult male. — Crown to rump and upper tail coverts 

 isabelline-grey to isabelline-brown, generally darkest on the tail 

 coverts and palest on the crown ; lores, cheeks, chin and throat dull 

 yellow ochre, often tinged with orange buff, this colour extending 



