l66 GAME BIRDS OF INDIA AND ASIA. 



is of a peculiar sandy olive-green above, scantily 

 mottled with yellow ; a patch on the wing is beauti- 

 fully coloured chocolate with narrow white edgings 

 to the feathers, and the lower back is barred with 

 black and buff ; the throat is black, the breast huit, 

 with two black bands set far apart, and the belly 

 white. ■ This white belly and the buff breast bounded 

 below by a black band, are also found in the hen, 

 but she has two black bands on the upper breast, 

 the higher much the broadest, and her upper parts 

 are buff, barred with black. She has a variegated 

 wing-patch like the cock, but this is black with 

 broad white edgings. The feet are dirty green, and 

 the bill greenish or grey. 



This is a western bird, onl}' visiting the north-west 

 of India as a winter migrant ; it is, however, very 

 abundant at that season, associating in bigger packs 

 than other Sand-grouse. It ranges westwards into 

 Northern Africa and Southern Europe, and these 

 most western specimens are more richly coloured 

 than ours. Its loud triple note can be heard for 

 a long distance, and it is a very noisy bird. 



Black-Bellied Sand-Grouse. 



Pterocles arenarius, Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, 

 Vol. IV, p. 54. 



Native names. — Bhat titar, Bakht, Bakht- 

 titar. Hind. ; Banchurat, Peshawar ; Bitrra 

 Bhutta in Hurriana ; Katinga, in Sind. 



Equalling a good large pigeon in size, this fine 

 sand-grouse is also distinguished by very striking 

 colouring ; the cock is mottled with slate and j^ellow 

 on the back, has a chestnut throat and neck, mark- 



