178 CASSELL'S I300K OF BIRDS. 



Europe. This Sand Grouse frequents the bare open plains, whether rocky or otherwise, and is very 

 partial to ploughed lands and bare fallow fields. It feeds chiefly in the morning, and between eight 

 and nine a.m. goes to drink at some river or tank, at whicli in certain parts of the country thousands 

 assemble, and may then be seen winging their way in larger or smaller parties from all quarters, at 

 a great height, uttering their peculiar, loud, piercing call, which announces their vicinity to the 

 sportsman long before he has seen them. They remain a few minutes at the water's edge, walking 

 about and picking up fragments of sand or gravel, and then fly off as they came. In the hot weather, 

 at all events, if not at all seasons, they drink again about four p.m. AVhen they are seated on bare 

 sand or rock they are most difficult to observe, from the similarity of their colour to that of the 

 ground ; sometimes they can be approached with ease near enough to get a good shot, at other times, 

 especially if in large flocks, they are shy and wary. A small flock or single birds can often be 

 approached very close by walking rapidly, not straight, but gradually towards them ; in this way I 

 have often . walked up to within two or three yards of them. They feed on various hard seeds 

 especially on those of various Alysicarpi, Desvwdiuin, &c., as well as on grass, seeds, or grain." 



These Sand Grouse breed in the Deccan and Southern India from December to May, and in 

 Central India still later. In some parts of the country, as at Mhow and Saugor, most of them leave 

 the district after breeding in July, and do not return till the end of the rains. The eggs are laid on 

 the bare ground, three or four in number, of cylindrical form, nearly equally thick at both ends, of 

 a greenish stone-colour, thickly spotted with grey and brown. This species, if kept long enough, is 

 very excellent eating, though the flesh is somewhat hard and tough, but with a high game flavour. 

 The young birds, when nearly full-grown, are most excellent. 



THE STRIPED SAND GROUSE. 

 The Striped Sand Grouse {Fterodes Lichtetistehiii) has the mantle and under side of a light 

 greyish yellow, delicately striped with black ; the brow and fore part of the head are whitish, and 

 divided in the centre by a black line, that passes from the base of the bill to the top of the head, 

 which, like the region of the cheek and the throat, is marked with dark spots instead of stripes. The 

 mantle is enlivened by numerous bright yellow, crescent-shaped spots, and the upper breast decorated 

 with a broad band of light brownish yellow, through which pass two lines, the one dark brown and 

 the other light grey ; the primaries are deep brown on the outer, and light brown on the inner, web ■; 

 the secondaries brown at the root, with pure white outer web and black tip ; the rounded tail — the 

 centre feathers of which do not exceed the rest in length — is reddish yellow, each feather being 

 delicately striped with black. The eye is dark brown, and the skin around it sulphur-yellow. The 

 beak is dull orange ; and the fore parts of the foot are copper-colour. This species is ten inches and 

 two-thirds long, and twenty-one inches and a half broad ; the wing measures seven and the tail two 

 inches and a half. The female is without the dark line on the brow, and the reddish brown band 

 upon her breast ; her plumage is greyish yellow, striped very uniformly with delicate black lines. 

 The Striped Sand Grouse, which closely resembles its congeners in its habits, is, according to Jerdon, 

 common in Arabia, and occurs as a straggler in Scinde and the Punjaub. 



PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE. 

 Pallas's Sand Grouse {Syrrhaptes paradoxus), the representative of a group inhabiting Asia, 

 is distinguished by the long bristle-like point in which the first wing-quill terminates, and by the 

 shortness of its toes ; these latter — three in number — are very broad, and so connected by a fold of 

 skin as to present, when seen from beneath, the appearance of a foot-sole without toes. The claws are 

 broad and strong, and the connecting skin covered with horny warts. 



