SUPPLEMENT TO THE OOLOGIST. 



17 



The Sand Grouse. 



CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15. 



This bird is fifteen inches long, excluding 

 the long tail-feathers ; twenty-three inches 

 in extent, exclusive of the bristle-point of 

 the wing ; wing seven inches, and tail sev- 

 en inches in length. The top of the head 

 and a line passing over the side of throat 

 from the eye, dark gray ; breast yellowish- 

 ash, separated from the region of the head 

 by a streak of delicate black and white 

 lines ; belly brownish-black ; middle tail- 

 coverts light gray ; throat, brows, band over 

 the eyes, and back ashy-yellow, the back 

 marked with a deeper shade ; shoulder feath- 

 ers brownish-gray, with yellow edgings and 

 tipped with white. Quills dark ashy-gray. 

 . It is only until recently that we have been 

 able to gain any reliable information re- 

 garding the habits of this curious bird. 

 They inhabit southern Europe, Asia, and 

 Africa, frequenting dry, sand deserts, plains 

 and bushy or woody low hills. Except on 

 the desert plains where they collect to drink, 

 they are found singly or in pairs. They 

 feed on seeds, bulbs, and insects. No nest 

 is made, but the eggs are deposited on the 

 bare ground, to the number of two. These 

 are elliptical in shape, about 1^ inches long 

 by 1 inch broad, and are greenish-yellow, 

 marked with brown, sometimes in a wreath 

 or streak about the large end. When dis- 

 turbed this bird rises and flies a short dis- 

 tance, and alights ; if followed it is with 

 difficulty they again take wing. Some- 

 times however, they ascend to a considera- 

 ble height, descending with a circular sweep 

 upon tlieir feeding grounds. 



These comprise all the species of the Sand 

 Grouse, of which not much is known. It 

 is a very interesting group of game birds, 

 and if studied on their native grounds by a 

 thorough naturalist, very much could be 

 added to what is already written. 



A NOTE on the nest and eggs of the Al- 

 askan "Wren {^Troglodytes parmdus var. 

 alascensis) appears in Nuttall Bulletin. 



Two Warblers. 



fN our last issue appeared a beautiful 

 illustration of two of our interesting 

 Warblers, Dendroeca Audubonii 

 and D. ccerulescens, drawn from nature, 

 the precedence claimed by other articles 

 necessitating the postponement of the ac- 

 companying text. 



Audubon's Warbler, a western species, 

 greatly resembles D. coronata of the east, 

 so much so that some authors are inclined 

 to regard it as variety coronata. It is 

 found in a great portion of western United 

 States, and may be defined to inhabit the 

 country encompassed by the middle of Ne- 

 braska on the east, Central America on the 

 south, north probably to the middle of Brit- 

 ish America. It is a very active bird, flit- 

 ting about here and there in the bushes and 

 trees in search of its insect food. In re- 

 gard to the habits of this bird, Townsend 

 says, that "the Chinook Indians know it 

 by the name of ^^out-sah,' and that it is 

 very numerous about the Columbia river, 

 arriving there in the middle of March, and 

 remaining to breed, but disappearing in the 

 end of June. In the beginning of October 

 it is again seen, with its plumage renewed. 

 Its voice so nearly resembles that of the 

 Chestnut-sided Warbler as to render it dif- 

 ficult to distinguish them. It keeps in the 

 most impervious thickets, and is always si- 

 lent when engaged in seeking its food." 

 Dr. Coues describes a nest found on Van- 

 couver's Island, as being constructed ex- 

 teriorly of rather coarse, fibrous strips of 

 bark and weeds, variously intertwined. 

 Mainly it was built of fine grasses, mosses 

 and some feathers and twine, and lined 

 with horse-hair. This nest was placed in 

 the crotch of a small tree, and was "ob- 

 liquely conical in shape." 



The general color of Audubon's Warbler 

 above is gray-blue with black edgings ; be- 

 low black, toward the belly lighter ; a small 

 spot under the wings, the crown of the head, 

 rump and chin, yellow ; tail and quill feath- 

 ers blackish ; eyelids yellowish. Inbreed- 

 ing season the breast and belly are paler. 



