PALLAS SAND GROUSE, 
1C I 
tipped also with a circle of black, and the secondaries 
are terminated with reddish-brown, forming a bar of 
that colour across the wings. The wings are long, 
the outer feather surpassing the others, and lengthened 
to a fine narrow point: in the same wav are the 
centre feathers of the tail much extended beyond the 
others, and terminate in the same kind of narrow se- 
taceous plume. 
The feet of tills bird are very extraordinary. Ac- 
cording to Delanoue, who appears vo be the only 
one who has seen them alive, the toes are so short 
as to he scarcely distinguishable, the centre one only 
deserving that appellation, and they are covered to 
the claws with thick down, these parts being alone 
observable without putting aside the covering. The 
consequence is a slow, and, as it were, painful man- 
ner of walking; while ou the contrary, the flight is 
rapid and high. The same traveller found the nest 
of the female among some stones collected under a 
shrub, containing four eggs of a reddish- white spotted 
with brown. The nest was perfectly simple, con- 
structed with only a few stalks of grass, and the fe- 
male exhibited the utmost solicitude for her precious 
deposit. The female differs little from the male, ex- 
cept in size, and a little less brilliancy of plumage. 
The genus Syrrhaptes was established by Illiger 
for the reception of this curious bird, anti M. Tern- 
mi nek dedicated the only species yet known to the 
Celebrated Fallas, its first descriher. The next bird 
is more typical of lids beautiful little group ; it is 
VOL. IV, R 
