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Show 262 MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE PTEROCLIDA. [Feb. 19, the place strewed with small green beans. Upon these catching the eyes of the birds, the flocks descend into the snare and ue trapped. Great numbers could be taken m this way. Although shy when on the ground, yet on the wing they would dart within a few yards of a person. Their cry was a kind of melodious chuckle According to native testimony, they are numerous on the great plains of Tartar? bevond the Great Wall, where they breed m the sand. In Mongolia/according to Prjevalsky, as given in Rowley s Ornithological Miscellanv,' this is one of the most characteristic b rds, and is found both "in the steppes and deserts. In summer they go beyond Lake Baikal in the north to breed, but spend the winter in the Gobi desert and in Ala-shan. They go in enormous flocks, and feed chiefly upon the seeds of Agriophyllum gobicum 1 hey fly rapidly, with a peculiar noise of the wings ; and at a distance the sound a flock makes is like the sighing of the wind When flying they utter a note like " truck-turuck, truck-turuck; and small flocks are accustomed to rise in the air and swoop down towards the ground, as Rooks do when migrating. On the ground they run clumsily, and their tracks much resemble those of small mammals. Like the species of Pterocles, these birds visit some drinking-place every morning and evening, but never settle without first describing a circle to assure themselves that there is no danger Prjevalsky also met with this species in the Hoang-ho valley in South-east Mongolia, and also about Kalgan. This species deposits its eggs in the sand; and the female does not sit very closely, but leaves her charge when approached, and also every morning and evening exposes the eggs to the weather, in order to visit the drinking-places. It is a very sny bird, and takes wing generally before one can get near enough to shoot. Falco hendersoni persecutes them, but cannot always catch T/ale. Top of head, occiput, back of neck, a line behind the ear-coverts, and breast grey ; on the forehead an ochraceous tinge; chin pale buff. Throat, ear-coverts, and a line on each side oi the upper part of the hind neck dark orange. Across the breast a band of dull white, each feather margined narrowly with black. Back and wings vinous, the former barred with black. Outer webs of the greatei coverts chestnut, forming a conspicuous bar along the w m g when closed. Spurious wing-feathers buff, with a central black line. Primaries light ashy grey on outer webs dark b'°™ °* ^?,;J*e X to ninth conspicuously margined on both webs with light buff, ine first primary considerably elongated and attenuated. Abdomen jet-black. Vent and under tail-coverts pure white. Tail grey, like the primaries, scalloped on the edges of the feathers with buff and tipped with white. The median pair elongated, filamentous, their lengthened portion brownish black. Tarsi and toes thickly covered with short buffy-white feathers. Bill yellowish brown; iris dark brown ; nails hi nf* K Total length 14f inches, wing to end of first primary 10, tail to end of median rectrices 7$, bill along gape |- Young. Top of head buff, streaked with black. lhroat buffy |