282 
ORNITHOLOGY. 
Only a single covey was observed there — one was shot and 
a Falcon flying over frightened the rest^ who immediately 
settled and squatted^ so that two of them were caught alive. 
A month and a half later, on the return journey^ they were 
in thousands at the same place, a continuous stream passing 
and repassing along the hillside throughout the forenoon 
just about the snow level. The Kirghiz had numbers of 
young ones, which their herd boys had caught. Later 
again, in October, the expedition found them very numerous 
in the Chang-la pass, about the snow level. They had been 
feeding on grain, all picked out of the droppings of cattle 
and horses. The Kirghiz name for the bird is Utar.'''' 
[G. H.-\ 
coverts are mingled black and white, the white being chiefly confined to a 
broad stripe from the tip running upwards, and narrowing as it approaches 
the centre of the feather. Flanks and tibial plumes, which are much de- 
veloped, very pale, vinaceous fawn or white tinged vinaceous, with a 
central linear or lanceolate linear stripe of blackish grey vermiculations. 
Base of the neck behind and back very pale gray with a faint pinkish 
tinge very finely vermiculated with blackish brown, most of the feathers 
of the upper back tinged towards their margins with a dingy fulvous 
shade and those of the lower back distinctly margined with pale buff. 
The rump and upper tail-coverts are very similar to the upper back, ex- 
cept that they are pervaded with a rich vinaceous tinge. Central tail 
feathers of a nearly uniform dull vinaceous pink, closely and strongly 
vermiculated with blackish brown. Lateral tail-feathers dull greyish 
black tipped with pale vinaceous rufous, and more or less variegated with 
the same colour on the outer webs towards the bases. The lesser wing- 
coverts resemble the upper back. The scapulars, tertiaries, and the coverts 
adjoining the scapulars, are also very similar to the upper back, but the 
ground colour is more buffy, the vermiculations more strongly marked, 
and the feathers are broadly margined with a somewhat rufous buff. 
The primaries are pure French grey, the earlier ones narrowly, the later 
more broadly tipped with white, and more or less finely powdered with 
the same colour on the margins of the outer webs. The secondaries are 
somewhat similar but much more broadly tipped with white and have the 
whole of the outer portions of the outer webs aboVe the tips coarsely 
speckled and spotted with buffy white. The winglet is a slaty-grey, the 
feathers more or less finely powdered and some of them margined towards 
the tips with yellowish white. The female is very similar to the male, 
but has the head paler, has the whole of the ear-coverts white, the 
cheeks paler and the black stripes of the abdomen somewhat less con- 
spicuous. \_A. 0. 
