THE BIEDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 383 



After their morning feed the flocks betake themselves to some well or 

 salt lake to drink, apparently preferring the fresh to the salt water. At the 

 drinking-place, as well as at the feeding-places, these birds never settle on the 

 ground without first describing a circle, in order to assure themselves that 

 there is no danger. On alighting they hastily drink, and rise again; and in 

 cases where the flocks are large, the birds in front get up before those at the 

 back have time to alight. They know their drinking-places very well, and very 

 often go to them from distances of tens of miles, especially in the mornings, 

 between 9 and 10 o'clock ; but after 12 at noon they seldom visit these spots. 



We also met with some wintering birds in the Hoang-ho valley, 

 throughout S.E. Mongolia, and also about Kalgan ; but when hard frost 

 sets in, or much snow falls, these birds appear in large flocks in the vicinity of 

 Pekin and Tien-sin ; but with the return of fine weather they again leave 

 these localities for S.E. Mongoha. Altogether they fly about much more 

 in winter than in summer, probably for the purpose of warming themselves. 

 In spring some of them depart for the north of Mongolia and the basiii of Lake 

 Baikal, whilst the rest remain to breed at their old winter quarters. 



The Sand-Grouse does not construct a nest at all, but deposits its eggs 

 on the sand, sometimes without even making a hole in the ground ; occa- 

 sionally, however, a few grass-blades are used as a lining. In the beginning 

 of June we found, in Ala-shan, three nests with three eggs in each : one set 

 was quite fresh ; but the two others were very much incubated. These eggs 

 are remarkable for their regular elliptical shape, and are marked with reddish 

 and brownish spots and streaks on a dirty yellowish- grey ground. Large 

 diameter I"-57-r'-64, small l"-3-l'-8. 



The female does not sit very closely, and leaves the eggs when approached 

 .within about twenty paces. During the breeding-season these birds fly also 

 in large flocks to the drinking-places, leaving the eggs exposed to the air 

 during their absence. 



This Sand-Grouse is very cautious and shy, but is scarcely pursued by man 

 at all ; and although its plumage is very much like the ground of the desert, 



VOL. TI. 3 ^ 



