PALLAS SAND GROUSE. 
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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 6ne narrow point : in the same way 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 this bird are very extraordinary. Ac- 
cording to Delanoue, who appears to be the only 
one who has seen them alive, the toes are so short 
as to be scarcely distinguishable, the centre one only 
deserving that appellation, and they are covered to 
the claws with thick down, tliese parts being alone 
observable without putting aside the covering. The 
consequence is a slow, and, as it were, painful man- 
ner of walking ; while on 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 genua Syrrhaptes was' established by llliger 
for the reception of this curious bird, and M. Tem- 
minr.k dedicated the only species yet known to the 
celebrated Pallas, its first describer. The next bird 
is more typical of tliis beautiful little group ; it is 
