4o6 HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS 



were killed. Two smaller and less known visita- 

 tions were noticed in 1872 and 1876, as chronicled 

 by Prof. Newton, Keport Brit. Assoc. (Bath), 1888, 

 p. 703, and "Dictionary of Birds." In Scotland 

 three or four were seen at Girvan, in Ayrshire, in 

 June 1872 (Gray, Ibis, 1872, p. 335), and seven 

 were received by W. Hastings of Dumfries during 

 the summer of 1888, when hundreds of these birds 

 appeared in Scotland {Trans. Dumfr. Nat. Hist. 

 Soc, 1890, p. 128). 



Another remarkable immigration of 2000 or 

 more occurred in 1888, and great numbers were 

 shot. Some were still at Harlech in August 1891, 

 and three were seen at Thetford in February 1892 

 (c/. King, Field, February 20, 1892). 



In the summer of 1889 a pair nested in Moray, 

 as recorded by Prof. Newton, who described and 

 figured a nestling [Ibis, 1890, p. 207). 



In Ireland specimens have been obtained at Ross 

 (Lord Clermont, Zool., 1863, p. 8934), at Drumbeg 

 (Sinclair, Field, June 20 and 27, 1863), at Naran 

 (Cox, Field, July 18, 1863), at Kilcock, co. Kildare 

 (Coates, Field, October 21, 1876, and Williams, 

 Zool, 1877, p. 24). In 1888 several were shot in 

 the counties of Down, Dublin, Westmeath, King's 

 Co., Wexford, Cork, Clare, and Connaught. For 

 further information on its occurrence in Ireland see 

 Ussher, " Birds of Ireland," pp. 227-229. 



In December 1888 an Act of Parliament was 

 passed "for the better protection of the Sand-Grouse 

 in the United Kingdom" (51 and 52 Vict. c. 55), 



