304 
PTEROCLES. PTEROCLES. 
Generic Character. 
« 
Rostrum mediocre, gi’acilius, 
rectum, compressum; max- 
illa versus apicem deflexa. 
Nares basales, longitudinales, 
membrana superne semi- 
clausae, plumulis obtecta?, 
infra patulm, 
Redes debiles, antice hirsuti, 
tetradactyli ; digit! breves, 
pollice brevissimo. 
Cauda cuneata. 
Alee elongatas. 
I Beal: middle sized, slender, 
straight, compressed ; the 
maxilla bent down towards 
its tip. 
Nostrils basal, longitudinal ; 
half closed before by a mem- 
brane covered with feathers, 
beneath open. 
Legs weak, plumose in front, 
four-toed; toes short, the 
hinder one very short. 
Tail wedge-shaped, 
elongated. 
Pterocles. Temminck. 
Q^nas. Vieillot. 
Tetrad. Lhin., Gmel., Laih., Pall. 
Perdix. Lath., Kay. 
Bo NASA. Briss. 
X HIS genus was divided from Tetrao by Tem- 
minck, the birds of which it is composed residing 
in the sandy plains and deserts of hot countries, 
two only being occasionally found in the soutli of 
Europe ; they form their nest on the ground, and 
