native haunts in the steppes of Asia, and the spread of 

 its invasions on the continent of Europe, I must refer 

 my readers to the authors from whom I have so freely 

 quoted above ; from the accounts given me by friends 

 who had the good fortune to meet with these Sand- 

 Grouse in 1883 and 1889, it would appear that 

 although generally shy and wary, they were in certain 

 instances remarkably tame, and permitted a close ap- 

 proach, that they are very swift in flight, that they 

 were often mistaken for Golden Plovers, and that their 

 food consists of various small seeds. 



The eggs are said to be three in number, laid on 

 scratchings in the sand in April or May, elliptical in 

 shape, and stone-buff blotched with purple-brown in 

 colour. I received seven of these birds alive in 1888, 

 but only one of them was an authentic British spe- 

 cimen ; I am not certain as to whence the others were 

 originally obtained, but have some reason to believe 

 that they were taken in nets on the north coast of 

 Prance; they thrive well in the open air during the 

 summer, except during a continuance of wet weather, 

 but we found it necessary to house them in the winter. 

 They are peaceable birds and agree well with the two 

 species of European Sand-Grouse {Pterocles arenarius 

 and P. alchata), whose habits exactly resemble their 

 own ; they are continually uttering a sort of crooning 

 chuckle, and are very fond of scratching and dusting in 

 sand or ashes. Erom the peculiar formation of their 

 feet they naturally prefer a flat surface; their move- 

 ments, even on clipped turf, are very awkward. My 

 birds, although by no means exceedingly wild, have not 



