58 



PTEROCLURUS. 



(ii.) With medial tail-feathers greatly elongated. 

 5. Pteroclurus alchatus. Large Pintail or Solitart Sand-Grouse. 



3' 14" to 15J"; 10 to 12 oz. 2 13J" to 15"; 8 to llj oz. Legs plumbeous. 

 Bill brown. Primaries slate, inner webs brown. Median tail blackish. Abdomen 

 white. Black eye-stripe. — Male: Bands on crown and nape. Broad breast-band 

 buff, edged black above and below. In summer, throat black ; in winter, white. 

 Above olive-grey. — Female: Throat white. Double breast-band of grey and buff, 

 fringed with three black bands. Above barred black, with ashy spots. Cold- 

 weather visitor to N.W. India from S.W. and C. Asia. (J. 801. B. 1320. O. 2.) 



Supposed Quail of the Israelites (Num. xi. 31, 32 ; Exod. xvi. 13). 



Also P. pyrenaicus, the Western Pintail S.G. from S. Europe and N. Africa. Annual 

 complete moult in June, when male assumes female plumage without the double throat-bar, 

 the female changing the white eye-stripe for a black one. And P. namaquus, S 12", 9 10-6", 

 from S. Africa. (O.G. 11.) 



6. Pteroclurus exustus. The Common Pintail or Whistling Sand-Grouse. 



Suniro, ussi, ustum= to burn up. 



Bur-titup, Kuhar, N.W.P.; Batiban, Sind; Popandi (Bheel); Pokandi, Deccan; 

 Pa\k.\, Belgaum ; Jam-polanka (Telugu); Kal-Kondari (Tamil). 



^ llf" to 13f"; 8 to 10 oz. 2 11" to 12|"; 7 J to 8| oz. Legs plumbeous. 

 Bill plumbeous. Primaries black, tips, except of first four, white. Plain bar on 

 wing. — Male: Above dusty green. Abdomen chocolate. Narrow black breast- 



Dorbajee, 8.8.72. 



band, edged white. — Female : Abdomen chocolate, closely barred, brown. Neck 

 and breast spotted. Broken black gorget. Above fulvous, barred brown. Central 

 feathers of tail not always elongated. Young have mixed plumage alternately edged 

 and barred. 



Erom S.W. and C. Asia, but resident also in N.W. India and Deccan, Eggs 

 (145 X 1-03) buff-green and double spotted. (J. 802. B. 1321. 0. 3.) 



7. Pteroclurus senegallus. The Blue-browed Pintail Sand-Grousb. 



Gutn, Sind. 



J 13J" to Uf"; 9 to 12 oz. 2 12J" to 13J"; 8 to 9 oz. Legs blue-grey. 

 Bill plumbeous, dark tip. Primaries pale madder-brown, black shafts, first three 

 tipped black, rest tipped white. Chin and throat-patch yellow. Abdominal line 

 sooty, fringed buff. — Male: Crown and nape dove-colour. Neck, breast, and 



