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suitable regions in Asia. Two species inhabit the inhospitable

plateaux of the Pamirs and Gobi desert, and one species Madagascar.

It is the Sand Grouse of the Gobi desert that has sporadically

visited this country and Western Europe, notably in the years

1863 and 1888, in large numbers, and is known as Pallas’ Sand

Grouse (Syrraptes paradoxus J.


Two species of Sand Grouse are European and inhabit

principally the suitable parts of Southern Spain, but are very local

in their distribution. These are the Sand Grouse I fancy to be most

suitable for aviaries in this country, and they are certainly amongst

the most beautiful of their kind. Anything more beautiful than the

male of the Greater Pin-tailed Sand Grouse (Petrocles alchataj

in his full breeding-dress of sage-green and cream colour with

vivid contrasts of black and white and chestnut, put together

with the greatest contrast, is difficult to imagine. Whilst his

female, in her dress of bright sand colour with delicate peucillings

of black and slate-blue, is hardly less beautiful. It is to this

species that I especially wish to refer.


Except during the periods of laying, sitting, and whilst

the young are small, Sand Grouse are very quiet birds, and, as

far as I can see, never interfere with any other inhabitant of their

aviary. In fadt, it is necessary to see that nothing molests them.

They do not require a large aviary, and the description of

one that I find very suitable may be of use to those who

might contemplate keeping these beautiful birds. Mine

are in compartments 20ft. long by 8ft. wide ; six feet of

one end is roofed in with a double span roof, and is

boarded on three sides, the fourth side, that with the southern

aspect, opening into the outer compartment, is open to the

eves, which are 8ft. from the ground. The outer compart¬

ment is of short turf, with a thoroughly drained gravel path

round it: it is on this path that the Sand Grouse spend most of

their time in wet weather, but in fine weather much time is

spent basking on the turf. The floor of the covered-in portion

should be the groiaid : this will become hard and dry from being

roofed over, and will be much resorted to for feeding, dusting,

etc., in wet weather, but almost never for roosting in, for how¬

ever inclement the weather may be, they will invariably pass the

night in the most exposed place they can find, and no weather

seems to inconvenience them much, except perhaps continued

cold wet. They will never try to avoid the hottest rays of the

sun, and I have seen them dusting comfortably in 25 degrees of

frost.



