THE BIRDS OF MESOPOTAMIA. 
949 
have been nesting in fairly close proximity — on stony ground. Tomlinson records 
eggs from near Basra on June 19th and Pitman found a stale egg ne.-.r Museyih 
on June 27th. Cheesman obtained a chick in down at .Shaiba on August 12th 
when many were fully grown. 
A clutch of 3 eggs in my collection taken by Capt. Hanna on July 3rd near 
Ur of the Chaldees measure 42' 5 x 29. All three were fresh and similarly marked ; 
the ground colour is pale yellowish stone (“pale olive buff ”, Ridgw. xl. f.) rathei 
sparsely but evenly marked with fine and coarser spots of pale red-brown 
( “ tawny olive ” Ridgw, xxix, i.) with a few larger secondary markings of “ pale 
violet grey,” (Ridgw. lii, d.) ; they are less closely marked and much less glossy 
than those of the common Indian Sandgrouse, indeed they are practically glossless. 
The male bird which was on the eggs ran off at very close range and performed 
the usual “ dying ” trick. 
All Sand-grouse are good eating in my experience but Pitman thought sene- 
gallns to be better in this respect than alchata. There is a certain amount of 
evidence to show that this species feeds on only small seeds and not on dropped 
corn, as alchata often does, although obtainable, but the identification of crop 
contents of both species and in a large number of specimens is desirable. 
Eighteen specimens: ^Baghdad, 7-8-18 2, Nasariyeh, 25-8-18 (P.A.B.); 
Sheik Saad, 29-10-16. 9, 30-10-16; pwZ/. Shaiba, 12-8-18 (P. Z. C. and 
R.E.C.); 2 Twin Canals, 3-11-18; 9, Kut, 24-11-16 (C. R, P.) 5 3 9 nr. 
Kut (Keary and Perreau). 
Down Plumage. — So far as I am aware the young in down of this species has 
never been described. Cheesman’s bird is of the same age as the young of alchata 
referred to and, as the feathers have sprouted the down pattern is lost. Chicks 
soon after hatching are desiderata, as I believe this to be the only one preserved 
anywhere. I exhibited it at the December 1920 meeting of the B. O. C. and it 
is now in the British Museum. 
Compared with the chick of alchata it has a noticeably smaller, less stout and 
less high bill, and slforter feet besides a different (paler) down and feather pattern. 
Down. Upper parts. — Head, cheeks and ear coverts, a mixture as in alchata, 
but the ginger brown element much paler and their hair like filaments much 
shorter and less noticeable. Back and scapulars, — here the paler ginger colour 
of alchata is replaced by a pale sandy yellow with heavier black tips, here too 
the filaments are shorter than in alchata ; wing coverts a mixture, like the back, 
and the filaments again shorter than in alchata. 
Under parts. — Down fluffy, less hair like than in alchata, also not so white, 
more isabelline white. 
Feathers of the upper parts quite different to alchata, pale isabelline brown 
grizzled with black marks ; those of the under parts paler than in alchata, also 
smaller and more disintegrated. See plate p. 650. 
324. Imperial Sand^grouse. Pterocles nrientalis. 
Pterocles orientalis (= arenar'.us auct.) (Syst. Nat. Ed. x, p. 161, 1758 
— Anatolia). 
Scattered flocks may be met with in winter throughout the country ; these 
are winter visitors from the Persian plateau where they breed in great numbers; 
there is no evidence that it breeds anywhere in our area. Never what might be 
called common, yet it cannot be considered rare, small flocks may be met w'ith 
by themselves, or a few mixed up with the packs of alchata or senegallvs. They 
arrive somewhere about the middle of November and Cheesman records some as 
late as April 27th drinking at islands in the Karun river at Qazarieh. 
Apart from their size, lack of the “ pin tail”, and the black belly Cheesman 
noted that their cry W'as distinctive, a croaking noise rather like a Raven’s ; 
Wimshurst obtained a number of minute seeds, estimated at .30,000, out of a 
