188 PTEEOCIiTD^ PTEEOCLES 



throat and ear-coverts, yellowish-buff; breast pale buff, mottled and 

 streaked with black ; abdomen, thighs and under tail-coverts rich 

 chestnut, narrowly barred with black ; centre tail-feathers like the 

 back, buffy-yellow barred with black, lateral ones black, barred and 

 tipped with pale chestnut ; size about the same as the male. 



The young bird resembles the female but the transverse bands on 

 the mantle are smaller and finer. 



Distribution. — The Yellow-throated Sandgrouse was first dis- 

 covered by Sir Andrew Smith in the neighbourhood of Kurrichaine 

 in the present Rustenburg district of the Transvaal. From the 

 western Transvaal it extends to Bechuanaland and the northern 

 Kalahari, while beyond our limits it is recorded from Nyasa- 

 land, Masailand and the mountains of Abyssinia. It does not 

 appear to reach Damaraland. Dr. Howard tells me it is common 

 in Little Namaqualand. 



The following are localities. Cape Colony — Litakun near Kuru- 

 man (Smith in S. A. Mus.) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom and Eusten- 

 burg (Ayres), Marico (Holub), near Johannesburg, scarce (Haagner) ; 

 Bechuanaland — N. Kalahari (Bryden), Shashi Eiver (Oates). 



Habits. — This is the largest and perhaps the most handsome of 

 all the South African Sandgrcuss ; both in voice and appearance it 

 is likened by Bryden to the Grouse of Scotland. It is usually found 

 in companies of from three to twelve individuals on bare ground not 

 far from water, where it feeds on seeds and small bulbous roots. 

 When crouched on the ground it is very difi&eult to detect ; when 

 flushed it does not run, but rises at once with a powerful flight, 

 accompanied by a whirring sound made by the wings. The note, 

 only heard on the wing, is a short and somewhat harsh " tweet." 

 Like other Sandgrouse they resort to water daily, but not at such 

 regular hours as the other species. They are specially fond of the 

 grain of the Kafiir corn and resort in large numbers to the fields 

 when ready for cutting ; in consequence perhaps of this they are 

 generally very good eating, especially when split open and grilled 

 with butter. The eggs, usually three in number, are laid on the bare 

 ground among the grass. They are dusky tawny, marked with lines 

 and blotches of umber forming a zone towards the base, and measure 

 about 1-7 X 1'09. 



