204 Mr. A. Newton on the Irruption of 



quiry, I found that a strange bird had been shot at, and hit, two 

 days before, by a man close by, who, when interrogated, said he 

 thought it had been a Golden Plover, though it seemed to him 

 to fly somewhat like a Partridge ; and that when the shot struck 

 it, it " shruck " (shrieked) out like the former bird. I kept this 

 example in a cage for a few days, feeding it on canary-seed, 

 which it ate readily enough. It was extremely wild ; but I suc- 

 ceeded in placing it so that I could observe its actions, unseen 

 myself. 1 subsequently transferred it to the Gardens of the 

 Zoological Society, where, in company with the hen bird from 

 China, which has several times produced eggs, it is now living 

 very contentedly. Mr. Bartlett, at my request, made a careful 

 comparison of this and a living Chinese cock bird, and he in- 

 forms me there was no difference whatever to be seen between 

 them. 



72. Wangford, 37' E. About the same time as the last- 

 mentioned bird was obtained, I am told that several were killed 

 on the Warren at this place, and sent to London. Some of 

 these, among a good many others, probably made their appear- 

 ance on the shop-boards of the poulterers there. I may add, 

 that I know of scarcely any place in England which I could 

 conceive better fitted to become a home of this Sand-Grouse 

 than the locality where these birds were killed. 



73. Holme, 32' E. Twelve birds, males and females, shot 

 between 10th and 15th June. The bodies of two of these were 

 sent to me for examination by my friend Mr. Thomas South- 

 well. A good many more seem to have been seen in the neigh- 

 bourhood. A female was found dead on the beach, 1st July. 

 Three males were killed, 3rd October, out of a party of four. 

 Another male was shot the last week of November. Mr. Ste- 

 venson, locc. citt. 



74. Methwold, 30' E. Mr. Newcome informs me that a 

 bird was killed in the fen-land here, out of a flock, sometime, 

 he believes, in September. I have seen the specimen, which has 

 been preserved by Mr. Leadbeater. Earlier in the year, several 

 flocks of strange birds, thought by the observers to be Dotterel 

 [Eudromias morinellus), were seen in the adjoining fens of the 



