PALLAS'S SAND-GROUSE. 389 



July 8th.. — Male and female from Yarmoutli. These 

 birds, whicli are in the possession of Mr. Owles, of 

 Yarmouth, are supposed to have been killed near Caister. 

 They were sent up to Norwich, on the 9th for preserva- 

 tion, when I examined them in the flesh. They were 

 neither of them in such good condition as most of the 

 earlier specimens ; the keel of the breast-bone being 

 sharper to the touch; nor were they so fat internally, 

 though perfectly healthy. The colours of the plumage 

 in both male and female looked dull, and exhibited no 

 signs of moulting. In the former, the tail feathers were 

 half an inch shorter than usual; but both the taU 

 and wings in the latter were an average length. The 

 gizzards presented the same class of small seeds as in 

 others, with white flinty particles; but these both 

 smaller and less numerous than in many I had dissected. 

 The female, probably a young bii-d, contained a large 

 cluster of very small eggs ; none larger than a common 

 rape-seed. The male was evidently an adult specimen. 



July 9th. — Male and female. This pair, like several 

 previous examples, were killed on the sand-hills between 

 Holme and Hunstanton, and were pm-chased in a fresh 

 state at Lynn. Neither the crops nor gizzards presented 

 any variation from former specimens. 



July 10th. — Of a male killed at Croxton, near Thet- 

 ford, Mr. Cole, for whom the bird was preserved, has 

 supplied me with the following particulars : — " It was 

 kiUed on my farm by one of the boys, about the 10th 

 of July last. There were four of them together at the 

 time, feeding on turnip seed ; the three remaining ones 

 were seen often afterwards, but could not be shot. Once 

 or twice, when riding, I got within shot, but never when 

 walking. Their flight is peculiar — ^very sharp and quick, 

 with a humming sound." 



September. — Mr. Newton, in his paper in the " Ibis" 

 (p. 204), records one- specimen as killed at Methwold 



