502 Arthur Walker-Jones Grouse (Pterocles orientalis) all breed in Palestine. Their appearance, calls, and behaviours resemble each other and other species of sand grouse. Meinertzhagen says the “flight call” of the Spotted Sand Grouse “is a musical cuddle, cuddle, cuddle” (30). Heinzel, Fitter, and Parslow describe its call as a “distinctive liquid, musical call” (31). Meinertzhagen characterizes the call of the Singed or Chestnut-bellied Sand Grouse as “a loud musical gutter, gutter and when drinking there is a constant musical creen” (32). Heinzel, Fitter, and Parslow describe the call as a “harmonious deep-toned call gouta, gouta” (33). The musical quality of the calls of these sand grouse might be reason to name them from a root that can refer to a call of rejoicing. The above calls invite comparison to the laughter referred to at the end of the periscope and some other sand grouse calls sound even more like laughter. The call of the Crowned Sand Grouse can be described as a kla, kla, kla or cha-chagarra (34). Heinzel says the call of the Pin-tailed Sand Grouse is “a loud ringing kata, kata, frequently uttered in flight” (35). Meinertzhagen says they are “very noisy when watering, the call resembling ka-kra, rapidly repeated”. He says that in Syria they sometimes occur “in incredible numbers, packs darkening the sky and their chattering becoming deafening as they pass overhead on their way to and from water” (36). A large number of noisy birds with a laugh-like call might spook horses and seem to be mocking them. Ground-nesting birds will often stay motionless on the ground, relying on their camouflage, until an animal is very close, and only at the last moment burst into flight. The flight and alarm call are often noisy, apparently designed to startle the predator long enough for the bird to escape. Such a bird that suddenly took flight near the feet of a horse might startle the horse and, combined with a laugh-like alarm call, might seem to be mocking a horse and rider. In summary, the description of the bird in the passage points to a sand grouse. They have noteworthy and joyous calls (v. 13). Combined with the acrobatic flight of flocks, their wings could be described as (30) MEINERTZHAGEN, Birds of Arabia, 458. (31) HEINZEL – FITTER – PARSLOW, Birds, 166. (32) MEINERTZHAGEN, Birds of Arabia, 459. (33) HEINZEL – FITTER – PARSLOW, Birds, 168. (34) MEINERTZHAGEN, Birds of Arabia, 456; HEINZEL – FITTER – PARSLOW, Birds, 166. (35) HEINZEL – FITTER – PARSLOW, Birds, 168. (36) MEINERTZHAGEN, Birds of Arabia, 460.