VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF SUTHERLAND AND CAITHNESS 165 



Syrrhaptes paradoxus, Pall. PALLAS SAND-GROUSE. Sand- 

 grouse do not seem to have visited Sutherland in the same 

 abundance as many other parts of the country. Mr. G. R. 

 Lawson writes us under date i2th July 1888 : "The only lot 

 of Sand-grouse I have heard of in this county was between the 

 Muckle Ferry and Dornoch. The Chief Constable told me on 

 4th inst. that they were still there. I first heard of them about 

 a month ago." A pair of Sand -grouse was seen by John 

 Bannerman on the Golspie Links on i4th July 1888. Other 

 records of this species in the two counties have already been 

 noted by Rev. H. A. Macpherson. 



Caecabis rufa, L. RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. From a sale 

 Catalogue of the effects of the late W. Dunbar of Brawl Castle 

 is the following item : " Case French or Red-legged Partridge, 

 which the late Mr. Dunbar tried to introduce into Caithness. 

 Some were afterwards killed on Brawl Farm." 2nd July 1888. 



Perdix cinerea, Lath. - - PARTRIDGE. - - In the old Statistical 

 Account for Scotland published in 1797, vol 19, p. 21, it 

 is stated that " It is only of late years that this bird (the 

 Partridge) has been seen at Halkirk, Caithness." In 1890, a 

 covey of partridge appeared close to the foot of the Big Ben 

 Griam, and one was shot; this is a long way from any cultivated 

 ground. A pair of old birds was shot at Badenloch on i5th 

 October of that year, and a few days after a single young 

 bird. Partridge had only been seen there about twice in the 

 previous twelve years. 



Coturnix eommunis, Bonnat. QUAIL. A Quail was shot at 

 Achavarasdal, Caithness, by the keeper on i6th October 

 1887, and was preserved by Mr. L. Dunbar. 



Lagopus mutus, Leach. PTARMIGAN. A covey of Ptarmigan, two 

 old and three young birds, were seen on Big Ben Griam in 

 August 1888 by John Macpherson, forester. These birds 

 are only very occasional visitors there. They are also seen 

 occasionally on Ben Uarie, but do not breed there as far as is 

 known : they breed, however, sparingly on Morven in Caithness. 



Lagopus scoticus, (Lath.} RED GROUSE. In the spring of 1889, 

 two grouse were seen by Mr. G. R. Lawson to fly across the 

 Helmsdale river at Torish, and settle on a low tree. Two hens 

 shot on loth November 1890 only weighed i Ib. and i Ib. 4 oz. 

 respectively; a young cock shot on ist November weighed 

 i Ib. 9 oz., an older bird i Ib. 13 oz., this latter weight is a good 



average. 



Fulica atra, L. COOT. Coots were seen and shot at Badenloch for 

 the first time in August 1889, by Mr. C. H. Akroyd. 

 3 C 



