PALLAS'S SAND GROUSE. 183 
ORDER PTEROCLETES. 
FAMILY PTEROCLIDA. 
PALLAS’S SAND GROUSE. 
SYRRHAPTES PARADOXUS (Pallas). 
On two of the occasions—the irruptions of 1863-64 
and 1888-89—when hordes of this Asiatic species 
travelled westward and overran Europe, a few examples 
reached Cheshire. The congenial conditions afforded 
by the sandhills of the Wirral coast appear to have 
attracted the birds, inducing them to linger for some 
time in that neighbourhood, but none were noticed 
in the central or eastern portions of the county. 
On May 29th or 30th, 1863, two Sand Grouse were 
observed at Hoylake, and on the 2nd of June a male 
was shot there, which was secured for the Liverpool 
Museum.! The late C.S. Gregson states, on the authority 
of Mr. John Price, that birds were seen at Upton near 
Chester.2 The Sand Grouse seem to have remained 
among the Wirral sandhills for some months, for early 
in November another male was shot near Leasowe 
Castle by Mr. Simpkins of Birkenhead.? On the 28th 
of the same month one was killed about four miles east 
of Warrington.* Possibly this is the bird which Gregson 
states was shot near Warrington on Christmas Day.” 
17. J. Moore, Naturalists’ Scrap-book, p. 70; ¢f. Brockholes, op. 
cit. p. 10, and Prof. Newton, Ibis, ser. I. vol. vi. p. 210. 1864. 
H. E. Smith, op. cit. p. 239. 
T. J. Moore, Zoologist, ser. 1. vol. xxii. p. 8889. 1864. 
J. Cooper, Zoologist, ser. 1. vol. xxii. p. 8958. 1864. 
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