Identifier: historyofbirdsof41875bree (find matches)
Title: A history of the birds of Europe, not observed in the British Isles
Year: 1875 (1870s)
Authors: Bree, Charles Robert, 1811-1886
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: London, G. Bell & Sons
Contributing Library: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Harvard University, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Ernst Mayr Library

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ce,and even in the beginning of June we find occasionally winter feathersremaining. During the period of transition we see speckled birdswith more or less white feathers among the speckled ones. The spring moult comes on in this way:—The coloured feathers firstappear on the head and neck, next on the back, last on the breast;and this tallies exactly with Hearnes observations in North America. My figure of this bird is that of a female shot by Mr. Wheelwrightfrom the nest in June, 1860. It is therefore in the real breedingplumage. The egg figured was taken out of her nest at the sametime. The bird has also been figured by Buffbn, pi. enl. 129, (femalein breeding plumage, f. 2 head of female taking on the breeding dress;)Bouteille, Ornith. du Dauph,, pi. 42, f. 1; Naumann, Vogel. Deutsch.,pi. 159; Temminck, Pig. et Gall., vol. iii., pi. 11, figs. 1, 2, o; Frisch,pi. 110 et ill, (in winter plumage, and commencement of moult;)Gould, B. of E., pi. 256; Dresser, B. of E., in winter dress.
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PIN-TAILED SAND GROUSE. 131 GALLING. Family TETRAONID^. (Bojiaparte.) Genus Pterocles. (Temminck.) Generic Characters.—Beak medium sized, compressed, slender in somespecies; upper mandible straight, but curved near the point; nostrils basal,half closed by a membrane, covered by the feathers of the forehead, openbelow. Feet with short toes, the under one hardly developed and articulatedhigh up the tarsus; the three front toes united to the first articulation,and edged with a membrane; the front of the tarsi covered with smallvery short feathers, the rest naked. Claws very short, the hind one sharpedged, those in front obtuse. Tail conical; in some species the two middlefeathers are elongated in a thread-like manner. Wings long, terminated ina point, the first primary the longest. PIN-TAILED SAND GROUSE. Pterocles alchata. Pterocles alchata, setarius,Tetrao alchata, caudacutiis, chata,Pteroculus alchata,utSnas cata,Ganga cata,Chata-Fluglmhn,La Gratidule, Stephens.Temminck. LlNN^US. Gm

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