The COMMON SAND GROUSE, or ROCK PIGEON OF INDIA (_Pterocles exustus_),
the third species of this group, is principally of a beautiful reddish
cream-colour, shading into bright yellow on the face, cheeks, and
wing-covers, and overspread with a bright greenish gloss upon the back;
the deep reddish-brown lower breast and belly are divided from the
upper portion of the plumage by a narrow black line, which commences
at the sides of the throat, and passes across the breast; the lower
tail-covers and feathered tarsi are cream-colour, the small feathers of
the wing-covers have a line of reddish brown at the tip, the primary
quills are black, all except the three outermost having the tip and inner
web white; the very long, slender, and sharply-pointed centre pair of
tail-feathers are of a yellowish shade, and those at the exterior dark
brown, spotted and striped with a paler tint. The eye is dark brown,
the bare circle that surrounds it lemon-yellow; the beak and toes are
lead-grey. This species is thirteen inches long and twenty-three broad,
the wing measures seven and a half, and the tail from five and a half to
six inches. The markings upon the back of the female are darker than in
the plumage of the male bird; the head, nape, and throat are greyish,
darkly spotted; the breast band is paler, the belly striped black and
brown. The centre tail-feathers are only a trifle longer than the rest.
[Illustration: THE COMMON SAND GROUSE (_Pterocles exustus_).]
"This," writes Jerdon, "is the most common and abundant species of Sand
Grouse throughout India, being found in every part of the country except
the more wooded portions, and never occurring in forest districts. It is
therefore quite unknown in Malabar, in the wooded districts of Central
India, and in Lower Bengal, and neither this, nor either of the previous
species, as far as is known, occur to the eastwards, in Assam, Sylhet,
or Burmah. Out of India, it is common through great part of Central and
Western Asia and Northern Africa, and, it is stated, has been met with,
though rarely, in Europe. This Sand Grouse frequents the bare open
plains, whether rocky or otherwise, and is very partial to ploughed lands
and bare fallow fields. It feeds chiefly in the morning, and between eight
and nine a.m. goes to drink at some river or tank, at which in certain
parts of the country thousands assemble, and may then be seen winging
their way in larger or smaller parties from all quarters, at a great
height, uttering their peculiar, loud, piercing call, which announces
their vicinity to the sportsman long before he has seen them. They remain
a few minutes at the water's edge, walking about and picking up fragments
of sand or gravel, and then fly off as they came. In the hot weather, at
all events, if not at all seasons, they drink again about four p.m. When
they are seated on bare sand or rock they are most difficult to observe,
from the similarity of their colour to that of the ground; sometimes they
can be approached with ease near enough to get a good shot, at other
times, especially if in large flocks, they are shy and wary. A small flock
or single birds can often be approached very close by walking rapidly,
not straight, but gradually towards them; in this way I have often walked
up to within two or three yards of them. They feed on various hard seeds,
especially on those of various _Alysicarpi_, _Desmodium_, &c., as well as
on grass, seeds, or grain."
These Sand Grouse breed in the Deccan and Southern India from December to
May, and in Central India still later. In some parts of the country, as at
Mhow and Saugor, most of them leave the district after breeding in July,
and do not return till the end of the rains. The eggs are laid on the bare
ground, three or four in number, of cylindrical form, nearly equally thick
at both ends, of a greenish stone-colour, thickly spotted with grey and
brown. This species, if kept long enough, is very excellent eating, though
the flesh is somewhat hard and tough, but with a high game flavour. The
young birds, when nearly full-grown, are most excellent.