l64 GAME BIRDS OF INDIA AND ASIA. 



Common Pin-tailed Sand-Grouse. 



Pieroclurus exustus, Faufi. Brit. Ind., Birds, 

 Vol. IV, p. 60. 



Native names. — Bhat-titar, Bakht-titar, Ku- 

 mar-tit, Kahar, Hind. ; Butabur, Batibun, 

 in Sind ; Popandi of the Bhils ; Pakorade, 

 Maharatta ; Jam polanka, Telegu ; Kal- 

 gowjalhaki, Canarese. 



The general colour of the male of this bird is 

 sandy, mixed with grey above, and with narrow 

 chocolate tips on the small wing-feathers. The 

 breast is crossed by a narrow black band, and 

 below this the buff shades into the chocolate of 

 the belly ; the face and throat are pale yellow. 

 The hen is buff, barred with black, the black marks, 

 however, forming streaks on the head and breast ; 

 the abdomen is dark brown, barred with buff. 

 The long ' ' pin-feathers ' ' in the tail are shorter 

 than in the cock. The bill and feet are grey and 

 the eyelids pale yellow : the eyes dark, as in all 

 our Sand-grouse. 



In dry open districts of the plains this Sand-grouse 

 may be looked for everywhere in India except gen- 

 erally in Bengal (though one once occurred even in 

 the Calcutta Botanic Gardens) and the G)ast of 

 Bombay and Malabar. Its range extends westward 

 to Senegal. In India it is resident, and may be 

 found nesting at any time, though most generally 

 in the earlier half of the year. The eggs are greyish, 

 pinkish, or buff, with the usual grey or byown mark- 

 ings. Like other Sand-grouse, they are very regular 

 in their ways, drinking at from 8 to 10 in the morn- 

 ing and again from 4 to 6 jn the afternoon, and rest- 



