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or among the long lines of sand dunes can the “beatific vision” 
of a flock in full cry be enjoyed to perfection, at least in the north- 
west of England. The writer was first introduced to such an 
experience by Mr. R. Mann on May 28th; a visit to their haunts 
two months later was scarcely less pleasurable. 
On August 3rd, Mr. Reynolds and the writer ferried across Drigg 
estuary, and after a few hundred yards of sand had been traversed, 
took up a position behind a long ridge of wind-drifted sand, A glance 
over the ridge revealed the existence of a strip of sandy ground, 
evidently saturated by recent rain; Sea Plantain and Glasswort 
were the only plants noticed. Conical sandhills rose and fell 
in the background, ridge flanking ridge until the sea beach was 
reached ; in the near foreground, scattered over a small area, were 
resting the members of a flock of three and twenty Sand-grouse. 
A few were feeding; some were scattered in two and threes 
around; in the centre ten or eleven birds were squatting close to 
one another. In spite of all precautions, they seemed to suspect 
danger, and began to run together with shambling gait. A moment 
later found fifteen birds at once within the focus of the field glass. 
Up to this juncture no cry was heard, but when the birds rose in a 
pack their cry was distinctly audible, notwithstanding the deafening 
clamour over head of a large colony of Common Terns (Szerna 
fluviatilis). 
MINOR HABITS. 
(1.) THE Cry.—The principal cry of the species is a loud 
chuckle, and this appears to be modified in more ways than one. 
It should be stated however that the writer feels considerable 
diffidence in speaking of the cries of birds, not from inattention to 
a subject which has engaged his earnest attention for many years, 
but from the want of a trained musical ear. Prjevalsky renders 
the cry of this Sand-grouse, as uttered in flight by males, in the 
syllables ‘“truck—turuk, truck—turuk,” and this is certainly an 
accurate rendering of a not unmelodious call note. But if a flock 
of Sand-grouse be startled at close quarters, their first alarm note 
is harder and more guttural than their usual chorus, and jars 
