The So-called Ostrich in the God Speeches 501 that would appear to a poet to be rejoicing? For instance, the Hoopoe Lark has a “striking black and white wing-pattern” and “prolonged musical whistling and piping song may be uttered on the ground or during display flight, when male spirals conspicuously upwards and descends again on outstretched wings” (23). In this case, the wing, flight pattern, and song all combine in conspicuous rejoicing. The pericope would then move from breeding (v. 13) through the laying of eggs (v. 14) to the raising of chicks (v. 16). In sum, the evidence in the passage indicates that the µynnr nests in the Middle East in an unlined scrape, has a noteworthy and joyous call, and has behaviors that could be described as its wing rejoicing. Some birds have some of these characteristics. As mentioned, the Hoopoe Lark could be said to have a joyous song and a wing that rejoices, but the nests of larks are often lined (24). Stone curlews nest directly on the ground. Their cries, however, can be described as “loud and raucous” (25) or a “wild shrill wailing ‘coo-lee’” (26), which are distinctive, but not particularly joyous. Sand grouse, however, have all the characteristics. They nest in the Middle East and lay their eggs directly on the sand in the desert. They are fast, strong fliers, often traveling long distances in noisy flocks for water. These flocks can perform “aerial evolutions” (27) so their wings could be said to rejoice. Moreover, the calls of sand grouse are both noteworthy and joyous. Meinertzhagen and Heinzel, Fitter, and Parslow all describe some of their calls as “musical” and “harmonious” (28). The Coroneted or Crowned Sand Grouse (Pterocles coronatus), the Spotted Sand Grouse (Pterocles senegallus), the Singed or Chestnut-Bellied Sand Grouse (Pterocles exestus), Pin- tailed Sand Grouse (29) (Pterocles alchata) and the Black-bellied Sand (23) H. HEINZEL – R. FITTER – J. PARSLOW, The Birds of Britain and Europe with North Africa and the Middle East (London 31974) 198. (24) U. PAZ, The Birds of Israel (New York 1987) 175-176. (25) PAZ, Birds, 96. (26) HEINZEL – FITTER – PARSLOW, Birds, 42; cf. C. R. MEINERTZHAGEN, Birds of Arabia (Edinburgh 1954) 469. (27) HEINZEL – FITTER – PARSLOW, Birds, 166. (28) MEINERTZHAGEN, Birds of Arabia, 458, 459; HEINZEL – FITTER – PARSLOW, Birds, 166, 168. (29) MEINERTZHAGEN, Birds of Arabia, 459-461 refers to Pterocles alchata as the Large Pin-tailed Sand Grouse and Pterocles exestus as the Small Pin-tailed Sand Grouse. I have used the English names of HEINZEL – FITTER – PARSLOW, Birds, 168.