DOTTEBEL 153 



prevailed, and on September 4 in fine weather one flight alone took 

 five minutes to pass, an unprecedented occurrence. 



Winter. — Lord Lilford found it abundant in its winter quarters 

 on the plains of Tunisia consorting with sand grouse, lapwings, 

 golden plover, little bustards, and cranes. He failed to get within 

 shot on foot, but killed many from horse, donkey, or ca^iel, though 

 the birds would run about fearlessly within a few feet of the Arab 

 plowmen. 



DISTKIBITTION 



Breeding range. — In the British Isles confined to a few localities 

 in the North Pennine and Cumbrian Hills, and in Scotland chiefly to 

 levels of 3,000 to 4,000 feet in the Grampians and Cairngorms, and 

 very locally north and west. On the Continent, in northern Scandi- 

 navia, north Finland and Russia, Nova Zembla, Waigatz, and Kol- 

 guev. It is found locally in the Riesengebirge, Styria, Transylvania, 

 etc. It is also said to breed in southeast Russia. In Asia it is found 

 across Siberia and on the New Siberian Isles in the tundra and 

 south to the mountain ranges of central Asia. 



Winter range. — Extends to North Africa, Palestine and S3a-ia, 

 Iraq, Arabia, and Persia. 



Spring migration. — In the western Mediterranean it is scarce on 

 spring passage, but Brehra obtained one at Cartagena, Spain, on 

 March 31. It is also of rare occurrence at Malta in spring and seldom 

 recorded from Greece. At Muonioniska flocks arrive from the south 

 about May 29 and remain for a week or two before proceeding to 

 their breeding grounds on the tundra. 



Fall 77higratiyon. — The great bulk of migrants seem to pass through 

 eastern Europe southward through Palestine, but small numbers pass 

 the Straits of Gibraltar in August and September, and it is not un- 

 common on Malta in October and November (early date, August 23 ; 

 late date, December 11). Whitaker notes its arrival in Tunisia in 

 September and October. 



Casual records. — Saxby records one on the Shetlands in mid- June, 

 1869. It is a rare visitor to the Canaries and has not been recorded 

 there for many years. The supposed record from Spitzbergen is 

 probably a mistaken identification, but it has occurred in Japan and 

 on King Island, Alaska (July 23, 1897). 



Egg dates. — British Isles, 8 dates between May 30, and June 15; 

 5 dates between June 21 and July 14; jirobably including some 

 second layings. In Scandinavia, 14 dates between June 3 and 15; 33 

 dates between June IG and 30 ; 2 dates between July 1 and G. 



