PALLAS'S SAND-GROUSE. 189 



exception of that seen on Blackstone Edge, were met 

 with in the low-lying district of West Lancashire, chiefly 

 on the moss-land. Those seen near St. Michael's were 

 partial to oat-fields, and were seldom, if ever, observed 

 on the old grass-land, Cuthbert Baines told me that 

 the birds were wild, and would not allow him to 

 approach within 150 yards in the open ; he had to 

 creep down the moss-ditches to get within shot. The 

 birds rose quickly the instant his head appeared above 

 the edge of the ditch, and would not permit him to take 

 the * pot ' shot invariably adopted with Dotterel. 

 After being flushed, whether shot at or not, they 

 usually flew a few hundred yards and returned in a 

 short time to the same field ; in this respect, as well as 

 in their partiality for oat-fields, resembling Dotterel. 

 They do not carry away much shot ; all were killed with 

 No. 10 at about thirty yards' distance. 



"These Sand-Grouse would, I think, have little difii- 

 culty in finding an abundant supply of suitable food on 

 our moss-land. In addition to grain (any kind of which 

 it appears the Sand-Grouse will eat), most of the moss- 

 land is full of the seeds of goose-foot and various species 

 of knotgrass {Pohifionnni) ; seeds of the latter, with 

 germinating power unimpaired, are found buried several 

 feet in the peat, and are constantly being brought to 

 the surface as the land is worked. Seeds of the goose- 

 foot {Clienopodnnn album), a very common weed, were 

 found in the crops of the Lancashire-killed specimens, 

 and it appears that the seeds of a nearly-allied i)lant, 

 Agnopliylluin (jolnnnn, formed the l)ulk of the food of the 

 Sand-Grouse in Central Asia. Six of the birds killed at 

 St. Michael's have passed, in the flesh, through my 

 hands ; and the contents of the crop of the other were 

 sent to me by ]\Ir. Nicholson. I forwarded the crops 



