SAND GROUSli. 
^57 
abdomen vinous like the breast, and the under wing coverts and 
the band at the end of the tail-feathers bluish-grey, instead of 
white ; bill blackish ; feet dull purplish lake. Total length, 
i3'o inches ; culmen, 07 ; wing, 7‘4; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, i'o5. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but smaller. Total 
length, 12 inches; wing, 67. 
Range in Great Britain. — A single specimen of this eastern 
species of Turtle-Dove was shot near Scarborough on the 23rd 
of October, 1889, and was exhibited by the late Mr. Seebohm, 
on behalf of Mr. James Backhouse of York, at a meeting of the 
Zoological Society, on the 6th of May, 1890. 
Range outside the British Islauds. — ^Accordingto Count Salvadori, 
this species of Turtle-Dove is found from the base of the 
Himalayas to Central India, and through the Burmese countries 
to Formosa, Manchuria, Corea, and Japan. 
Hahits.— Captain Hutton states that the present species arrives 
at Masuri in the N.W. Himalayas, early in April, when all the 
woods resound with its deep-toned cooing. It does not seem 
to differ in any respect in habits from other Furtle-Doves. It 
breeds in May and June, and Mr. Hume has found nests as 
late as August. 
Nest. — According to Mr. Hume, the bird makes a loose but 
rather more substantial twig nest than many of its congeners ; 
it is placed on .some horizontal branch of a large tree, usually 
not far from the extremity. . , 
£ggs. — Two in number, white. Axis, i’i-i'34 inch ; diam., 
o-SS-i'o 
the sand-grouse, order pterocletes.* 
The Sand-Grouse hold an intermediate position between the 
Pigeons and the Game-Birds, not only in external appearance, 
but on account of their anatomical and osteological peculiari- 
* In the ninth volume of this Library Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant has 
described all the Game-Birds, including the Sand-Grouse. lie is the 
acknowledged authority on these Orders of birds and I have therefore 
merely given an eiiitome of the British species, founded on Mr. Grant s 
work above-mentioned. Much of the information in the following pages 
is a copy of Mr. Grant’s work, for the simple reason that I have not 
seen how to improve upon it. 
IS ® 
