276 



THE BIKDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 



bird, it never flies far, and always close to the ground. Its cry consists of a 

 short but rather loud chatter ; and occasionally it utters a peculiar note, 

 something like " jin^ jin, jin,'' very much resembling that of a species of 

 Marionas of the Ala-shan mountains. In the stomachs of these birds w^e 

 invariably, even in October and November, found insects and their larvae ; 

 and Dr. Hume states that it also feeds upon seeds. It is a lively, restless, 

 and very inquisitive bird ; v^hen it perceives a man it utters its note several 

 times, runs for a little distance, suddenly stops short, and then commences to 

 run again. Our setter, more particularly, seemed greatly to attract attention, 

 and was often followed for several hundred yards. 

 Measurements : — 



Length 



Width 



Wing 



Tail . 



Gape 



Tarsus 



Middle toe 



its claw 

 Hind toe . 



its claw 



6- 



?• 



in. 



in. 



11-6 



10-7 



17-5 



16 



5-5 



5-3 



4-23 



4-08 



1-8 



1-52 



1-67 



1-5 



0-75 



0-77 



0-45 



0-32 



0-45 



0-38 



0-42 



. 0-37 



129. PoDOCES HUMiLis, Humc. 



Podoces humilis, Henderson & Hume^ Lahore to Yarkand, pi. xxiii. 



Was also discovered by Forsyth's expedition to Yarkand. We 

 found it first in Kan-su, and afterwards in Northern Tibet and at 

 Koko-nor. They inhabit the grassy steppes and open plains in the moun- 

 tains, avoiding very carefully the wooded districts, but are not afraid of man, 

 and very often live close to human habitations, preferring, however, those 

 localities where the nomads pasture their herds. In the mountain-plains it 



