158 
THE SAND GROUSE. 
the most barren districts of the world ; and for abode 
there, they possess requisites equal to those belong- 
ing to the inhabitants of the moors or forest. These 
have been named Sand-Grouse, and in scientific lan- 
guage Pterocles. They inhabit tbe parched and arid 
deserts of Africa ami Arabia, plains of burning sand, 
bounded only by the horizon, “ where no palm-trees 
rise to spot the wilderness,” themselves almost the on- 
ly living creature, often proving a most welcome sight 
to those who, from necessity or avarice, attempt their 
dangerous passage. For abode in these deserts, a 
more extended locomotive power is necessary, the 
distances to be passed from the variotiB watering 
places and supply of food being very great. We 
find the feet small therefore, formed for running 
lightly on the burning sand, tbe bodies more light 
and slender than any of the birds we have been de- 
scribing, and the wings lengthened, with tbe first 
quills longest ; tbe tail also is often long, thus shew- 
ing an extent of development in the most important 
organs of flight, far beyond any of the others. They 
are thus enabled to pass over vast distances, and they 
sweep over these wastes with an easy, noiseless, and 
extremely rapid flight. 
Swainson accounts these birds the teuuirostral 
group in this family, and as a departure from the 
Gallin®. Tbe Prince of Musignano remarks, that 
some species of them lay a small number of eggs, 
and that the young remain for a considerable time in 
the nest after being hatched. The colours of these 
